Rising Ether
by RosarioVampireBoy
Summary: If you knew your world was ending what would you do? When an demented overlord rises up it'll be up to young elf Ether along with the beautiful yet tough giantess princess Elaina and her fathers force to push back the darkness, but how does one save the whole world from corruption? Will light shine through or will corruption break free?
1. Prologue Horrific Beginnings

Rising Ether

Prologue

Horrific Beginnings

The screaming, that terrible, screeching screaming, he wanted to stop so much. As the young elf hid down below the house all he could hear were the screams of MCs people as one by one they fell. The air was thick with death as he held dagger close to his chest. His town, his home, how could he just sit back and let them take everything away? But what could he do? What could a six-year-old possibly do against a horde of monstrous orcs? Nothing, and so as his mind faded the screams faded into oblivion as his mind finally gave out.

What seemed like hours though had only been forty minutes when he awoke from his slumber. Seeing as how he wasn't dead though he guessed the invisibility spell his parents had cast onto the underground shelter had worked. Without his scent to pick up those beasts must had thought they had taken out the last of the children. As he emerged from his safe haven though the sounds of blazing fire, and creaking would could be heard from all around. Blood covered the ground as did the limbs of his people. It was all just too horrible; but what about his parents?

"Mommy? Daddy? Aiser?!" he called out as he dragged his feet across the ground.

No answer, nothing from anyone? His village, the place he had grown up in was all but gone. As he forced himself across the ground he could feel his heart cracking, it was going to break soon. The sight of his fellow elves slain like pigs for slaughter, began mixing his sadness with rage as he let out a loud scream. Where was he to go now? He had no home, and no money, and without a home he too would find himself among the dead.

"Please Aiser, help me~" he pleaded as he fell to his knees.

But as he collapsed he thought he saw something familiar. Could it had been his father, mother, and brother's armor? As he moved closer though he learned the dark, harsh truth about what had happened. Laying before him were the decapitated bodies of his family. The mother who had given birth to him, the father who had raised him up, and the brother who inspired him. As tears poured from his eyes he took the only weapon he had, and began stabbing the ground with great force. Every bit of sadness and rage filled each lunge as he whimpered.

"Mommy, daddy, please come back." he whimpered as he tried to cuddle up with their bodies.

What else could he do? He mind as well had been dead. The coldness of his parent's bodies just made his heart shatter into bits and pieces. With his death soon to come he waited for the monsters to return so that maybe he could join his family in the afterlife, but when he looked up something caught his eye.

His brother's sword, it was still in his hand. Made by the giants of Amnear, it was said to bring courage to those who needed it. As he let go of his family he stood back up and walked around to take up his brother's sword. The grip was still warm, and the blade still shined as the blood of their enemy covered it. The blood of his enemy, there was no other choice. If he wanted to live he couldn't give it. As his fingers wiped up the blood from the blade he began spreading it over his arms, legs, and face, if he ran into them at least they wouldn't catch his scent. It was as his brother had taught him; if he gave up then and there, it was all but over. And so with the blade of his family at his side he took one last look back before leaving behind everything.

"Goodnight." was all he could say to everyone, before taking his leave into the forest.

To leave the place he was brought in, it hurt, but he knew if he wanted his kind of live on he couldn't just give up on life, and the blade he held would help him out. Still where could he go for help? The only town closest to him was the town of Amnear, and that was miles away. With his head held high though he began his trek to the west, towards the city of immigrants.

Days turned to weeks, and with barely any hunting experience he couldn't rely on the wild life for sustenance; so to keep on going all he could drink and eat were berries found in the forest, and water from a stream or lake. Upon the third week though his body began lagging behind. He didn't even have the strength to hold the blade up, but instead drag it across the ground.

"Food..." he groaned as his stomach grumbled.

There was only so much berries and water could do for him. He was so used to eating big meals of both meat and veggies that eating so little didn't really do much for him. Still, he had a mission, and that was to reach shelter. As he dragged himself along though he thought he heard talking, and it was getting closer. Quickly he tried to hop into a nearby bush. With his breathing silenced he peaked out as he heard them approaching.

"So which way now genius?" he heard as his eyes scanned each one of them.

An eternal giant, a normal elf, and a wolf, but what caught his eyes was the armor they were wearing. It looked just like the armor the guards from Amnear wore, but what were they doing out there? Were they headed to his village? Wait, if they were from the city, then that meant maybe they could help him. As he kneeled in the bush though he saw them walking away.

"Please, don't go." he begged as his vision began to blur.

The weeks were starting to catch up with him as he tried to drag him and his blade out of the bush. His little arms could only pull him so far though as he tried to call out for them, but with his throat being so dry it only hurt. With only half his body sticking out he gathered up his breath and let out his last plea.

"Help!" was all he could muster as his mind began to fade.

The last thing he saw were the feet of the giant headed right for him before he finally closed his eyes. Was he safe now? If so he couldn't really feel it as his hand gripped the hilt of his sword as tight as he could. He knew it was up to him to get to safety, and it seemed it might had worked. He wasn't too far away from the city, but still he just couldn't go on anymore. His life was forever changed after that day, the day of death, fire, and sadness.

So, he had found a new home in the city of Amnear, a city ruled by the eternal giant king Serion, and his lovely queen Rosa, but it just didn't fill the void that those damned monsters had made. Yeah sure there were other races in the city as well, from goblins, to dwarves, and heck even some anthros managed to make a life there, but it just wasn't his home. As he sat in the kingdom palace, upon the giant table he could only listen as the servants whipped him up a small bowl of stew.

"Poor kid, to see something like that at such a young age." Serion said as his wife walked in.

"Do not fret my love, he'll find happiness here. I'm sure of it." she followed up as they both looked at the tiny boy sitting on the table, his eyes completely void of life.

"Do we have the men working on finding out who did this?" he asked.

:"Yes, they've determined that a group of orcs had invaded his village, and slaughtered his people for food."

"Grrrr, monsters, the lot of them." he growled just as the food was being brought out.

With a small bowl of soup in hand their cook Louise brought it out to him, with a spoon to help. Instead of lighting up though he found himself just staring at the food. His mind was so jumbled up that he could barely eat, but upon instinct he began devouring the potatoes and carrots. Even though it hurt his throat he swallowed every bite until it was all gone.

After his little meal though they decided to let him go free for the time being; at least that way he could get use to his new home. As he walked along the roads though he noticed it was a lot more lively than his old home. Hundreds of people flooded the streets in search of supplies to buy, but as for him he was still trying to cope with what had happened. In his mind he knew he had to forget, and move on with his life. He couldn't be such a downer if he was to grow up big and strong, but still it was just too soon for him to do that.

"One, two, three, and four." he said as he counted the gold pieces the king had given him.

As he walked along though he began getting a feeling that he was being followed. As he stopped a shadow covered him as something big stood behind him. What was it? With his nerves on fire he gripped the handle of his blade, and quickly turned; only to find a tall girl towering before him. An eight foot tall child? That was impossible, unless she was...

"Uh, hello?" he said as he lowered his blade.

All she gave in return was a smile as those purple eyes of hers lit up from the sun. As he looked up at her though he noticed that she was actually very pretty, with her hair being short, and those beautiful purple eyes, and even if she was much taller than him that didn't mean anything. As he stood there though he felt her wrap her arms around him, before hugging him like a doll.

"Oof, uh..."

"There, there, it will be alright." she said as he patted his head.

He honestly felt more like a play toy to her, but as he was held to her large frame he began feeling that warmth again, the warmth of a loved one. Perhaps moving on wouldn't be so bad after all. And so a new chapter began in the life of young Ether, a chapter that would bring both happiness, and hardships, but with new friends, and his brother's sword at his side, he knew he would pull through no matter what. That was hid code, the words he lived by.


	2. Chapter 1 12 Years Later

Chapter 1

12 Years Later

From the mountains, to the oceans, and deserts the sun began to rise as many of Arnere began waking up for another day of hard work, and study. For the men that meant either guarding the king's castle, or hunting in the wild to either bring home food, or to sell for silver so they could afford things a bit more fancy. As for the women they were mainly stationed in hospitals, schools, and libraries, but if they chose to hunt too that was fine as well. For the young knights in training though that meant more practice, and more sweat, but with every day they grew stronger and stronger, and as long as they kept their heads high there was a good chance they would make it.

As the sun began to rise its powerful rays began raining into the young princesses room. Groaning she reached to pull the curtains so the sun wasn't shining right in her eyes, but it seemed the gods just wouldn't have that from her; for as she reached she heard the door open as her maid Jules came in with some fresh change of clothes.

"Good morning Princess Elaina. Did you sleep well last night?" she asked as she pulled the curtains open even farther.

"Oh, just give me another hour." she groaned before pulling the covers over her head.

"Oh no, I'm afraid not. You can't start getting lazy now can you?" she asked her before pulling the sheets clean off from over her.

"But it's only eight in the morning. Please, just thirty more minutes." she begged as she gave her the doggie pout.

How typical of the young princess. Sure she trained hard, and kept in top physical condition, but if there was one thing she loved it was sleep. But she knew just the trick to get her up and about. A trick she learned worked almost ten years ago.

"If I recall a certain someone has an exam today. Oh what was his name now? Ather? Oh wait, Mether."

That's when she realized she had made a big mistake by sleeping in. How could she forget such an important day? With haste she jumped out of bed and ran to her closet, and quickly grabbed the orange one piece suit she wore for training. With time running out she quickly stripped and threw on her new outfit. With it she could move more freely, and thus move quicker.

"But princess, your bath."

"Don't worry, I'll take it tonight!" she said before bolting out the door.

"Excuses, excuses, by the way don't squash anyone on the way over!" she yelled back.

That was right, if she remained a giant she would only end up hurting others due to her large size. Right, there was only one way to solve her little problem. As she ran through the main hall she began concentrating on nothing but her body. Slim, curvy, the body of a women, her entire body from head to toe had to be visualized, as well as her clothing, and in a flash she released her own magic. She made sure to be careful as she moved down the steps of the castle, as her body began to shrink, along with her clothing. Yep, thanks to a few lessons from her own private tutor she could shrink down to the size of a normal being, but only for a certain amount of time. Once her magic depleted half way she would be forced back to her normal size. It was a bit of a pain, but it was worth it.

And with one last jump she landed just outside the main gate, and with such grace as well. Looking out though she noticed just how happy her people were. Arnere was a city built for those without a home, for those who wanted to start over, and to see them commuting, and working together really did her heart good.

"Huh? Oh no, no, no I can't be late. Please, just hold the gate for a little while longer." she begged as she took off towards the western district, the training district to be more precise.

Yeah, being one of the biggest cities in the world of Teriel they were forced to create certain districts for certain needs. For instance, the shopping district was to the east, the study/learning district was to the south, and the training district was to the north. It was sweet, and simple to understand for newcomers. Still, it didn't help that each district was so big, and the large groups of people walking through the training district didn't really help either.

"Please don't let me be late. I promise I'll wake up on time every day for the rest of my eternal life." she asked the gods above as she weaved through the crowd of people.

There it was, the two large wooden doors that led straight into the training coliseum, and they were still open! Maybe she wouldn't miss it after all, but as she drew closer the doors began closing shut, and once they closed there was no way she could get in unless she wanted her father to pay for the damages. With her teeth gritted, and her powerful legs working overtime she made a burst for the entrance. It was too late though, before she could even get there the doors were shut and locked.

"Gah, come on you stupid doors. Open up!" she demanded as she tried pulling them open.

When she saw the door beginning to split though she stopped. She couldn't just break the door down could she? Her dad would only get mad from that, but maybe there was another way she could see what was going on. The structure was only twenty-five feet tall, and she, as a whole, was around thirty-one feet, that was it. With her eyes closed she released her magic once more, and in a flash she found herself towering above the others in the district.

"Whew, now where is he?" she thought as she peered over the top.

They wore no armor so it was pretty easy to pick him out of the group. Black hair, blue eyes, his black shirt and brown vest combo, those dirty pants and shoes, and of course those goggles he always wore just in case. As he stood across from his captain both met eye to eye, just like rivals before the exam would begin. As he took his last few deep breaths his eyes shifted to the large figure standing just outside of the training grounds.

"Heh, I figures you would come to see this." he thought as he turned his attention back to his opponent.

"Are you ready to begin your exam?" the captain asked as he took hold of his wooden sword and shield.

"Yeah, let's do this." he answered in a confident tone.

Even if she couldn't be inside to see him fight waiting everything from above was pretty nice too. Once the bell rang the exam was underway as Captain Marwin lead with a downward slash. Quickly though the young elf raised his shield to block, before pushing him back. Instead of going to the normal slash though he funneled a small bit of his magic to the tip of his weapon, and with a swift thrust forward he managed to blast his captain with a bit of his pure magical energy.

"Heh, neat trick their kid, but you've still got three hits to go." he growled before running forward.

Both seemed equally matched as their blades clashed, but why wouldn't they be? Through five years of training he managed to not only increase his magical abilities, but also his strength and speed as well. It was no easy feat though, but it was well worth it.

"Come on, you can beat him." said Elaina as she watched.

He was a tricky bastard though, it wasn't just his weapons he had to watch out for, but he learned that the hard way. Instead of attacking with his sword he merely used it as a diversion, and instead used his right foot to deliver a nice kick to his stomach. It hurt, but he was far from done.

"Don't get too cocky kid. Sometimes you've got to use misdirection to your advantage."

"Yeah, tell that to my face when I kick your butt all the way across the world!" he exclaimed as he rushed forward.

As he moved forward with his attack though he noticed his good old captain getting ready for his next line of defense, or was it an attack? With his sword up he expected him to guard, but instead he waited for just the right moment to strike. With his opponent coming at him faster than he had seen before he used it to his advantage, and with his own blade filled with magical energy he swung forward; unleashing a large, bust of energy right toward him.

"OK, didn't expect that." he said as the attack approached.

But he wasn't one to go down that easily, and so instead of guarding he kneeled down before skidding across the ground, and with his head back the attack barely missed, but he wasn't done. Using his teacher's shock to his advantage he jumped up, and delivered a powerful sideward swipe that knocked him over.

"Yes!" Elaina said under her breast as she tried to stay quiet.

"Just two more hits and I win." he thought as his opponent jumped back to his feet.

"Interesting, you're quite the flexible fellow aren't you Ether?"

"Yeah, but enough chit-chat. Let's finish this!"

"I concur!"

And with both having marks against them the true fight could begin as they both rushed at each other. Both were fast and furious as their wooden blades collided, but only the strongest would come out on top, and to do that meant he could move to the next stage of his training. With quick swings, and guards Ether managed to fend off his opponent rather well, but what would he expect from an elf? They were known for being quick thinkers and very flexible.

"Good, you're doing well, but you'll need to be quicker than that if you plan on becoming a knight." said Marwin, as he gave a good thrust forward.

Instead of going for the target himself he instead went for his main line of defence, his shield. Once raised he sent out a powerful wave of energy that completely shattered the wooden shield into little pieces, and while he was at it he took another point from him by knocking him in the shoulder.

"Damn it, just two more hits and I'm done. I won't lose, and I won't look like a fool in front of her." he said as he raised his blade.

"Looks like you've got only two more hits left young one, but don't fret, I'll take those from you soon enough."

"Yeah OK, we'll see about that."

But without a shield all he had left was his sword, and if he struck him again like that he wouldn't have anything to attack with. Thinking about it though he did see a way he could possible turn it around, but it was kind of risky. His timing had to be perfect if he was to pull it off.

"Alright, let's give that a shot." he said as he grabbed his weapon from off the ground.

He spent no time putting it into effect either as he rushed towards his captain with his head and spirits high. He knew at this point what his opponent would do, either a stab forward, or an energy slash, but he was prepared for both.

"Coming at me head on eh? Kind of risky if you ask me." he said as he prepared for another attack.

"Not yet, just a bit farther."

To work he had to be right there in front of him. Smaller and smaller the gap between them got, and just like he predicted, when he got close enough he unleashed another powerful slash, but this time he was ready. With his quick relaxes he jumped into the air, clean over the wave of energy, and instead went straight for him skull. Pow, right on the top, but that was just the beginning. Once close up he placed his feet on his shoulders and jumped behind him, finishing him off with a clean-cut to the back.

"Yes, yes, yes! Good going Ether!" she cheered as he finished off his exam in style.

But the fun didn't last long as one of her servants from the castle approached her.

"I see the exam is finally over." she said as she looked over the top.

"Yeah, he won. Can you believe that?" she said excitedly.

"That's great, but you know what's even more great? Your magic lessons."

"Oh, but I just got here. Can't I stay for just a bit long? At least let me congratulate him."

"You'll have time to do that after your lessons." she said as she took her hand.

"Ahhh, fine..." she said before walking off with her.

It was no secret that she really liked to spend time with Ether, but when she had to study there was no getting around it. Last time she refused she was dragged back to the castle by her feet, maybe shop owners dreaded that day. Still, the sooner she got it done and over with the more time she could spend with him.

Three hours passed from when he took his exam, and from what he was told there was no doubt he would be moving onto the next stage of his training. Previously he had only been working on enhancing his endurance, and strength, but in phase two he would get to work with magic and how to use it effectively. Still, that was a little ways off, and for the next few months he could finally relax, and by relaxing he meant hunting for wild animals in the field outside of the city walls.

"Alright, where are ya you little scamp? I know you're out there just waiting for me." he said as he stood in a tree.

Thanks to one of the crafters in town he managed to score himself a pair of nifty hunting goggles. What did they do? Well, they allowed him to see farther than he normally could, and he could even zoom in on smaller targets. Pretty nifty he would say, but they were expensive, and if he broke them that would be another two gold out of his pockets.

"Ah, there we are, and look at that skin. I could get a new fancy vest with that. Fire proof and the works. Alright, let's get to work." he said as he jumped down.

A Rahnarock, and a big one too. They were known for their fire-proof skin, and for being very vicious, but he wasn't scared. To be a hunter he had to stay calm and collected, any sign of fear could give him away. As he carefully snuck up on the beast however he felt a branch snap below his left foot, which tipped off the beast.

"Crap, come on. Wind!" he exclaimed as the beast came barreling towards him.

Quickly he turned his energy into wind, and just before he could get pounced he let it loose; sending the snarling creäture backwards. It wasn't over though, and he knew that as he pulled out his sword. From the back the beast raised its razor-sharp tails, and began swinging them at him. Two at once, but thanks to his training he coud block both of them, but how long could he keep up? With quick movements he began moving around him so he could slice those tails off. As he did though the creature's eyes followed him before eventually he went for them. As he dodged the stabbing blades he swung at one tail, then the other, both were off, but he still had the rest of it to deal with.

"Come on you mother~ah!"

Instead he was greeted with a large foot that came down on the beast, crushing it to death. Well, that was one way to do it. Though most would be frightened by such a large foot he knew who those boots belonged to. His eyes traced that curvy figure all the way up to those beautiful purple eyes, and that cute brown hair.

"Hehe miss me?" she asked in her usual cute voice.

"You could say that, though you didn't have to squash my prey."

"Oh? You looked more like the prey than it did. Are you sure you had it?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Hah hah, eh I guess I could harvest some of it though. At least I can eat something other than beans and bread tonight." he said as he walked over to the corpse.

With careful precision he craved a large chunk of its body out, and placed it in his carrying bag, but other than that the skin he was looking to get was kind of ruined. He wasn't mad at her though, after all she was just trying to help out. Besides, there were still many days to come, and who knew when another one would come trotting along.

"Hey Ether?"

"Yeah?" he answered as he closed his bag.

"I was wondering, the winter festival is coming up, and I was wondering if maybe you may go...with me?" she asked as she messed with one of her pigtails.

"With you, and me a mere peasant? Hm, if you give me a lift back to town then sure I'll go." he said with a bright smile.

That alone made her day. The winter festival was known for its festive fun, but also for the lunar magic. It was said that if one wished upon the winter moon that their wish would come true, and she had one in mind that she wanted really badly. Was she young? Yeah, she was only nineteen, but that didn't mean she couldn't prepare for the future.

"Hop on." she said as she lowered her hand.

Town was a little ways off, but for her it was just a little walk, and so once he sat down she lifted him up to her shoulder, but that wasn't where he wanted to be. Instead he jumped down to her large right breast, and laid there like it was a bed. So soft, so comfy, and very squishy, just the way he liked it.

"Oooo yeah, much better." he said as he wiggled around a bit.

"Hey, I thought you wanted a ride on my shoulder." she questioned as her cheeks lit up.

"But this is so much more comfy, and look it even jiggles." he said as he bounced up and down on it slightly.

Yeah, he was kind of a pervert at times, but even so she knew he was only playing around. It was just in his nature, and it didn't seem he was doing anything bad. Being a giantess though it was easy for him to lay there and relax.

"They're not toys you know." she said as she looked away slightly.

"Hey, you use to cuddle me like I was a doll when we were kids. I deserve at least this. Plus look at how much of a woman you've become since then." he told her straight out as he rubbed her skin.

"H-Hey, I~I'm not that pretty." she said, denying that she was.

"Sure you are, you're one of the prettiest girls I know. I mean you're a giantess and all, but you've really come a long way since you were a kid." he said before hopping onto her shoulder.

Sure he was a bit strange at times, but there was still something about him she really liked. Instead of greeting her like she was a giantess he instead treated her like a true friend. It mattered not if she was thirty-one feet tall, he still treated her like his equal. He would help her out with her studies if she needed it, if she needed some work done in town he would gladly take part, and if she was in need of comforting he was there to cheer her up. Even after he found out she was a princess he still greeted her the same way, which made her very happy. No formalities, but instead true friends to the end.

"Thank you Ether, you'll be my little doll until you end of time!" she said before grabbing him, hugging him close to her chest.

"Oof, OK, can't breath. Running out...of air...fast." he struggled to say as she smuggled him in her chest.

"Oh, sorry. Anyways, we're here if you want to get off." she offered.

"Hm, could you maybe take me to the trade post? I need to see what I can get for this stuff before it goes bad."

"Alright Mr. Lazybones, but next time you're carrying me."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really." she said as he jumped back to her shoulder.

"Oh OK, then I'll turn into a giant as well." he said as they both had a nice chuckle about it.

After a five-minute walk to the city all she had to do was bring him to the trade post so he could get his day's earnings. Once there he jumped into her hand, and then to the ground as the tender to the stands looked up at them both with interest.

"Good afternoon princess." he said.

"Good afternoon Manny." she said as she waved.

"Ah, and young Ether. I take it you have something good for me today?"

"Eh, not really. Something happened, and it got kind of squished, but I did harvest what I could from it." he said as he pulled the heap of bloody meat out.

"Oh I see. That's from a Rahnarock right?" he replied as he inspected the meat.

"Yeah, so how much do you think you could give me for it?"

"Hm...well it's still in decent shape, and it is a pretty rare find. How does forty silver pieces sound?"

"Forty you say? How about fifty and I'll trade you my wrist straps? Made from the same material, just smaller."

"The skin of a Rahnarock huh? Alright, you've got a deal. Fifty silver pieces for both the meat and your wrist straps."

Yeah, at times people would trade their own items to get a bit more money from the tenders, but it was all fine as long as both came out equally. As he handed him his little bag of money though he heard a rather annoying voice come up from his right. That annoying, cocky tone could only belong to one person.

"Kyrak Timber, great. What do you want?" he asked as he shoved the money in his pocket.

"I heard you performed rather well at the exam today. So I just wanted to stop by and give you a little present." he said as he handed him something wrapped in a cloth.

It was shit, literal shit he had taken from outside the city. Great, he could have it back though as he though as he threw it at his shining armor. Served him right for being such a punk.

"Why you little..."

"Yeah, speaking of little." he replied back just as Elaina picking him up.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked Kyrak.

"Princess Elaina, don't worry I was only having a bit of fun was all."

"Picking on my friend isn't what I would call fun. Would you like me to tell my father what you've done lately? Tavern hopping? Sleeping on the job? What about that time you made him run away crying?"

"Please princess, I promise I won't do it again." he said as she wiggled in her grasp.

"And if you do you'll be hearing from my father." she said before letting him go.

"Yes princess, I'm very sorry." he said before running away.

Oh how he hated that guy. How he became a knight he would never know, but through the years all he did was pull tricks and pranks on him because he was the only elf in the city, and apparently giving someone crap as a present was funny. He would show him. When he became a knight he would kick his ass to kingdom come.

"Don't let him get under your skin OK?" she said as she knelt.

"It's alright, he'll get what's coming to him one day."

Just as they were about to leave they were confronted by the king who had shrunk, and dressed in different clothing to avoid the unnecessary attention. He seemed happy though as he approached them with a smile. What could he want?

"Elaina, lunch has been prepared if you're hungry, and for you as well if you want to join us Ether."

"Nah, I'll be fine for tonight, but maybe tomorrow would be good."

"Sounds good, are you ready sweetie?" he asked.

"Actually I'm not that hungry." she replied, just as her stomach growling.

"Not that hungry eh?" Ether followed up.

It was thank to being in rush that she hadn't gotten the chance to eat any breakfast, and since dinner the night before was pretty small her stomach was begging for more food.

"OK maybe a little."

"Yeah, why don't you go eat? I'm going back to hunting, but I'll talk to you later."

"OK, but don't forget your promise." she said as she began walking away with her dad.

"The winter festival, got it!"

And with that he was off to harvest more, and with half a day still to go he had plenty of time to fill his pockets. Still, he did wish she would have come along; he enjoyed the company, but oh well. Dinner awaited him.


	3. Chapter 2 Magic of Light

Chapter 2

Magic of Light

Well that was a bust. After almost three hours of searching and searching there were no signs of another Rahnarock anywhere, which disappointed him. If anything he really wanted that skin so he could have some nice fire-proof clothing crafted, but fate just wasn't with. From high to low he searched; heck he even went into the dark forest just outside of Amnere where it was said many dangerous creatures lurked, but all he got were a few little scratched and a carrying bag full of disappointment.

"Crap, looks like it's back to beans and bread for now buddy, but you don't mind that do you?" he told himself as he rubbed his growling tummy.

Bean and bread wasn't really bad, but it got old pretty fast when that was all one could eat for days and day; he needed something else, but in order to get fresh meat to cook he needed at least sixty silver pieces. With only forty-five though he was out of luck. Even if he wanted to go eat out at a tavern they would just throw him out because he was under the age limit of twenty. It sucked, but there was no use whining over it.

"Hm, maybe if I wake up early tomorrow I can get a good start and maybe even find one of those bastards. Wait, if I lay a trap maybe one will walk right into it, but where can I get parts for cheap?" he pondered as he walked back into town, covered in sweat.

Oh well, the day was kind of a bust in terms of earning a profit, but at least he still had his treehouse to go home to and rest. As he turned to leave though he was stopped by a familiar voice, a gentle yet commanding voice that seemed anxious to find him. As he turned he looked up to see the queen standing behind him in all her beauty, her long red hair, those green eyes, and a figure that her daughter had definitely inherited, it was no wonder the king chose her to be his wife.

"Little one, it's time for today's lesson." she said.

"Can't it wait until tomorrow? Me legs are killing me, and my mind needs to rest. You understand right?" he asked as he backed up.

Nope, instead she simply grabbed him by the back of his vest and began making her way towards the castle. There they would continue with his lessons in the different arts of magic. Oh, he could have dropped out of his vest, if he wanted to break his legs, but since that was a no go he no choice but to hang there like an ornament as they made their way towards the Garden of Tranquility.

"You shouldn't slack on your lessons young man. You know to be a knight you've got to be more than just physically strong, but also spiritually as well." she told him after five minutes of walking.

"But I am strong like that. Heck I even learned how to manifest wind all on my own." he boasted.

"That's good, but today's lesson will be dealing with a new type of magic. It's one of the hardest magics to master, but if you can wonderous things can happen." she said as they passed through the back doors.

"Oooo rare magic? Care to elaborate?"

"Patience my pupil, you'll learn soon enough."

It was no secret to him though that when she said it was one of the hardest skills to master that he would go through a bit of pain. When magic is used it takes energy to produce it, and the less energy one had the more strain it would put on one's body to produce more magic to keep going, but if they used it in a smart way then they had nothing to worry about. As for her though she was determined to push him to his absolute limit.

"Oh, I forgot to mention that my daughter will also be participating in this session as well." she mentioned as they arrived at the garden.

"Elaina? But wasn't she busy with other things?"

"Don't worry about that, she volunteered to practice with you, and why not? You two seem pretty confident in your abilities." she answered as they walked out to the center of the circular floral arrangement.

"I guess, but don't you think she would be pushing it a bit? I mean she did practice for a couple of hours earlier. I don't want her collapsing from exhaustion or anything." he said as he lowered down to the stone floor.

"I'm sure you'll both be fine. Elaina, it's time for your lesson!" she exclaimed.

And what followed for the next hour and a half was nothing but frustration as both tried to gather up the energy they needed to transform their magic into that of light. But it couldn't be so simple; so while she was at it Rosa placed two stone blocks on his legs, and two boulders on her daughters that she had lying around the garden. It hurt, badly, but they knew if they didn't buckle down that they wouldn't grow stronger.

"Um, excuse me your majesty, but could you show us exactly what this light magic would allow us to do?" he asked as he continued to concentrate.

"Yes, when you grasp the basic idea of how to use it you'll find yourself able to do such things as this." she explained before turning to a piece of ruined stone.

Both watched carefully as she closed her eyes, slowly though a white aura began building around her hands; kind of like his fire spells. But when she opened up her eyes they were no longer green, but instead pearl white, and with them locked onto the piece of stone she threw her right fist forward, and with it came a blast of white energy. At first it didn't seem like that strong of a move, but the more distance it covered the larger it grew until it enveloped the entire stone. Piece of debris flew everywhere as it imploded on itself, quite the sight for them indeed.

"Whoa, that's pretty neat else can it do?" asked Elaina.

"Many things, regeneration, multiplication, and the power of flight just to name a few there."

"Wait, so you're saying we could fly with that stuff?" he asked with excitement.

"Yeah, that sounds really nice. The wind on our faces, and the land below; have you ever tried it mother?"

"Not really, it's fairly difficult to master, but you two need not worry about such things until your training is complete. You may though practice in your own time in the spellbook I gave you both."

Right, back when they both began training both were given a spellbook that listen most of the spells known across the world, but there was so much inside that it just made their heads spin. Whatever, if that's what she wanted then by the gods they were going to give it all they had. As they closed their eyes to begin once more though they noticed that the sun was starting to descend below the horizon.

"Hm, seems the day is coming to an end. Alright, you're both free to go." she said as she took the boulders off her daughters legs.

But as per the norm the young elf was far to hard-headed to know when it was time to stop. Instead he sat there with his eyes closed tight and his mind focused only on the darkness around him. Even with the headache coming on he still pushed forward as a bright light began filling his vision.

"Ether?" asked Elain as she moved to poke his head a bit.

And it was gone as he fell over onto his side like a stone statue. He had it, he almost had it, but instead he found himself lightless and with an empty stomach as well. He couldn't get mad at her though, besides it was his fault for being so stubborn in the first place.

"Ah whatever, I'll just practice more tomorrow, and you better not get ahead of me." he said with a cocky smirk as he jumped up.

"Don't worry, you're so slow I'll be miles ahead of you before you can even reach me." replied Elaina as she gently nudged him with he tip of her boot.

"Heh yeah, well I'll see you tomorrow." he said before running off towards the entrance.

"Sleep tight!" called Elaina.

"And don't let the me bugs bite!" he replied back before disappearing around the corner of the giant castle.

Yeah, like she would let that happen, then again he was pretty small compared to her so it wouldn't be too hard for him to slip in and take a bite. Ah who was she kidding? He wouldn't do that, not after what almost happened the first time he snuck in. She almost turned him into an Ether pancake, but then again he had visited her from time to time at night. Nah, he was just kidding, besides he had other matters to tend to.

Later that night as she washed up to prepare for bed she began thinking of what would happen during the winter festival. There were no doubt going to be tons of people up and about, but would that be the right time to tell him her little secret? After all she was about to turn twenty the month after, and if anything she knew her family wanted her to find a good man. Perhaps it was best to wait and see. After all she did have an eternity to find a husband, and it wasn't like her beauty was going anywhere. Heck, her mother was almost three hundred and three and she still looked drop dead gorgeous.

"Ah, what should I do? Can I really ask him that? Ahhhh, this stinks." she whined as she leaned back in her tub.

When her eyes shifted over to the table next to her she saw a silver coin sitting there. Grabbing it she decided to let the coin speak for itself. Heads she would tell him, and tails she would wait until a later date. As she flipped it into the air though she saw something sitting atop the shower head that looked like a bug at first, but upon closer inspection it turned out to be the little devil himself.

"Ether!" she yelled as she threw some water at him while also trying to cover her body.

"Whoa, hey no need to douse me." he said as he pulled out his little gadget.

Once out he fire the little claw shot and waited until it hooked itself onto the ceiling before swinging down to the little table beside her. The water didn't help with his landing though as he slipped and fell onto his butt. As he tried to wring out his vest though he got a rather unpleasant look from Elaina.

"Why were you up there?" she asked as she gave a look of frustration.

"What? I can't visit my friend every once in a while at her own house?" he answered as he slipped back into his vest.

"Mhm, then why didn't you wait me in my bedroom?"

"I don't know, you seemed a bit different today. Like you were conflicted with something so I came here to see what was going on. I guess I came in at the wrong moment huh?" he asked as he scratched the back of his head nervously

"You noticed huh?" she asked as she messed with one of her pigtails.

"Yeah, so what's bugging you? Come on you can tell me." he told her as he jumped to the side of her bathtub for a seat.

As she bit her bottom lip memories of their past began running through her head. How he always played with her when no one else would, and when he was hurt she would always come to his rescue, and as they grew up together she always felt like there was just something real special about him. But did she really have the guts to spill them to him?

"Well it's just I...I may have feelings for this guy." she said as she moved around in the tub.

"A guy huh? Is he a tall, handsome giant?" he asked as he jumped to her shoulder.

At this point she didn't really care if he saw them or not, if anything she wanted him to be closer than ever.

"No, not really. I mean for his kind he's pretty tall, but yeah." she said as her heart began racing.

"Hm, it's not that punk captain is it?"

All she did was shake her head before looking over at him.

"Well if you're in love that's great. Um, I mean you're beautiful and all but are you sure this guy is the right one for you? He could be a gold digger for all we know." he said as his nerves began to tingle a bit.

"I'm sure he would make a great husband one day." he said softly as her she grabbed at her chest.

"Husband? Um...sure, but maybe I should search him out and investigate a bit."

Instead of replying though she simply took him and lays him right above her chest before giving him a gentle hug. He could see it in her eyes though that whatever he had done had affected her in some way, and if it meant he had cheered her up then that was all that mattered. With his arms wrapped around her neck he gave her the strongest hug he could as he held on.

"Please, never leave." she said softly as her hand rubbed his hand.

"Heh, don't count on that. I'll always be in your hair princess. I'll always be here, to bring us back."

As they sat there embraced in each others arms the sound of her bedroom door echoed through the room. Big trouble, that's what that meant if he was caught with her in the bath. Quickly he began looking around for somewhere to hide.

"Elaina?" they heard as her maid made her way towards the bathroom.

"Jules?" she asked as she let him go.

He had two choices, he could either risk exposure and use his little gadget to cling to the window above the bath, or he could suck it up, dive under, and hope to the gods that he could hold his breath long enough. It was no challenge to decide though as he let go of her neck before sliding down her chest and into the bath. With a deep breath he reached under and grabbed her ankle so that he wouldn't float up ro the top.

"Oh, I'm sorry princess I thought you would have been in bed by now." she said as she walked in.

"It's alright, did you need anything?" she asked as she tried to hide her little secret.

"Well we were talking and it seems you haven't been feeling well lately. Is everything alright?" she asked as she felt her forehead for a fever.

"I'm fine." she answered as quickly as possible.

"Hm, you don't seem to have a fever, but your cheeks are so red. Is there something you're not telling me miss?"

"Nope everything's fine. I'm just a bit nervous about the winter festival is all." she said as an excuse.

"Oh the festival, but why nervous? Unles...you found someone to go with. Who is it who is it?" she asked.

"It's uh, Ether." she answered as her face lit up even more.

"Ether huh? You plan on revealing a little something when the moon rises?" she asked curiously.

"No, it's just I gave him a lift back to the city today, and he said he would take me."

"Ah so a deal. Well I'm sure you'll have fun either way."

"Yeah it sounds fun." she replied as she saw little bubbles coming up from her ankles.

"Well if you need anything don't hesitate to ring."

"Will do." she said to finally get her out of the room.

Once she left the room they were in the clear as he reached for his claw gun and with one pull of the trigger he hooked into the bottom of the window, and in a flash he zipped his way up to freedom. Drenched in water he tried to shake his hair dry before forcing the water out of his pointy ears. He liked swimming, but damn he didn't need that.

"Sorry about that." she said as she looked up at him.

"It's OK, I best be heading home anyways, need to fill my poor tummy before it starts eating itself.

Before he left though he had one thing to say.

"Very nice chest." he said as he gave her a thumbs up.

"Get out of her you perv." she said with a little giggle.

And with that he was gone. As she sat in the tub though she came upon a decision. During the winter festival she would tell him the truth no matter.

"Heh complimented my body." she thought with a slight smile as she laid back once more.

While she continued to relax however the young elf was busy with other endeavors, like taking a fifteen minute walk home to his treehouse just outside of the city, and filling his tummy so it would finally shut up. All he had were beans and bread though, so it wasn't anything too special. It got the job done though once he finished his plate.

"Alright I'm going to have to buckle down and work real hard tomorrow if I want to eat good. Maybe Elaina could help me with searching the forest. I guess we'll see tomorrow." he told himself before hopping into bed.

The house wasn't exactly big, but it was good enough. With only one room with a bed, stove, table, and mens room it didn't compare to the homes in the town, but he liked being near nature. As he laid in bed he felt himself drift into a nice, soothing sleep.


	4. Chapter 3 Attack on Arnear

Chapter 3

Attack on Arnere

Darkness, he was falling, falling into the darkness. Nothing surrounded him but silence as he descended into the abyss below until he began hearing their screams, the screams of Arnere as it burned to the ground. As he looked around though he saw his home materialize around him; the castle, the buildings, everything had crumbled to ruins as he landed on the solid surface. The sky above had turned red, and the stench of death filled the air as he stood there, just staring in disbelief.

"No, this can't be real. What in the hell happened?" he asked himself as he looked around.

Not too far away though he could see what looked like the royal guard as they all laid on the ground defeated. Quickly he ran over to them in hope that maybe one of them could tell him what was going on. As he made his way over to them though he began getting the feeling that something was following him; something with the intent to kill.

"Captain, come on get up." he said as he shook his armored covered body.

When he flipped him over though he saw that the worst had happened. All of them were dead, their hearts torn from their chests as blood covered the ground below them. In fear he backed up as he looked down at the corpses of his comrades. Most were so young that didn't even get the chance have a family, or even to find love.

"I've got to be going insane. Come on think Ether think. Elaina! Your majesty?! Anyone!" he called out as he back further away from the destruction.

This wasn't suppose to happen, not again. In fear he turned to run only to be stopped by a dark figure standing before him. His glowing yellow eyes locked onto him before he began walking towards him. Death, destruction, fear, and corruption, that's the vibes he sent out as Ether walked backwards.

"You urchin, you're the one who's made your body a prison." it said in a distorted voice.

"W-What?"

"Even if you're not the prisoner."

He couldn't move. His legs were like two pieces of stone that were driven into the ground. As a cold sweat ran down his face the figure only grinned as it pulled out a sword. Was he going to die just like that? As he drew closer though he found himself kneeling before him like a dog.

"This can't be happening! Come on wake up Ether!" he begged himself.

"There's no one left to save you elf, and now I'll lay you down to sleep." it said as it raised its blade.

With his eyes closed and his mind blank he waited for the blade of his enemy to end his life, but then from out of nowhere the ground shook. When he opened his eyes though he noticed he was back in his house, but why was the ground shaking? As he jumped out of bed he felt a large tremor as the tree his house was in was ripped straight from its roots.

"What in the hell is going on?" he asked as he tumbled around his house.

As he tumbled around the house though he saw his blade slip off from its holder. Whatever was causing trouble was about to get a piece of him mind as he pushed forward and grabbed his blade before leaping out the window and to he turned to see what was causing it go he saw that it wasn't really a person, but instead a Forest Elemental, a being made out of bark and wood.

"No, no not my house!" he yelled as it was thrown clean across the field.

Alright, that pissed him off well enough that he wanted to kill that thing. As its green eyes target him its vines began lashing out at him, but with his sword he sliced them all to pieces before moving in to finish it off. With his hand placed at the base of the creature he finally let loose the fire within as the beast erupted into flames before him. As it collapsed into ash he simply walked away to report it to the king, but once turned to look at the city his heart almost broke.

"This can't be happening..." he said as he heard the screams of the people as smoke rose to the sky above.

It was happening again! Why, why him he thought as he gripped the hilt of his sword even tighter. Well not again, this time he wouldn't lose anyone! With courage flowing through his veins he ran towards the city with great speed. He just hoped Elaina and her family were still safe as he approached the entrance.

It seemed getting to the castle wouldn't be a walk in the park as both a nāga and what looked like a half wolf half human hybrid, and both were packing. As they swung their blades he managed to block just in time, but with two coming after him there was only a matter of time before he would slip up. He couldn't give up though, he had to make sure his friends were safe.

"Fine, you want to play? Let's play then." he said before jumping back.

If there was one thing he didn't have time for it was stupid games with weaklings like them, and since they had the intent to kill he didn't have to hold back. With his sword in his right hand he raised his left as the two came barreling at him. Using the power of wind though he forced them back even father, but he didn't stop there. As they were dazed and confused he gave the ground a nice stomp which caused a pillar to shoot up from the ground below them, launching them sky high.

"Raise Ether!" he shouted before jumping into the air.

And with his blade he proceeded to slice them up into pieces. They had no idea what had hit them, but with them out-of-the-way he could move on towards the castle. As he entered the city though he saw absolute chaos. People were running in the streets trying to find shelter while monsters surveyed from the rooftops of buildings, and air born beasts took to the cries. Orcs, anthros, and even some humans could be seen attacking the towns people.

"Captain Marwin." he said as he saw he and his men guarding the destroyed castle gate.

Seeing as they had their hands full though he thought it would had been best to head straight for his target, but when he turned to leave them he saw an amphibious creature coming up behind him with a sword.

"Captain Marwin, look out behind you!" he warned before throwing his sword.

Bullseye, with one throw he managed to save his captain as the blade pierced its skull. As he ran over though Marwin didn't seem all that happy to see him. In fact he seemed pretty furious.

"Ether?! What in the hell are you doing out here? Get to shelter at once." he commanded as he stomped on the skull of an enemy.

"Right, but first tell me what's going on here." he answered as he watched his captain's back.

"It started early this morning, they came in small groups, but soon we found ourselves overrun with them!" he yelled as his men tried to push back the enemy forces.

"Are we talking like a rebellion?" Ether asked as he slit the throat of a human warrior.

"Not a clue, but you've got your answers now get out of here!" he yelled.

As he said that though a loud scream was heard coming straight from the castle behind them. There was no mistaking it, it was the princesses scream. With his friend in trouble Ether ignored the order given to him and instead jumped over the guard wall before dashing towards the castle.

"Elaina!" he called out as he jumped up each step.

"Ether, you idiot get back here!" Marwin called out before being flooded with more goons to take on.

No, he didn't care if he was his commanding officer, his friends were in trouble and he wasn't going to let them get hurt. As he approached the top of the steps though he got a strange feeling, the same feeling he had from his dream. When he hit the top though his hands began shaking as his heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest, but he knew he wouldn't let them down. Not now and not ever!

"Huh? Now what did this?" he wondered as he saw the castle doors had been blown open.

There on the floor before him was the king and his family as they cowered in fear of their attacker. A man dressed in white and gold garments, but he couldn't get a good look at his face. As he jumped over the rubble though he began speaking to Elaina and her family.

"You tried and you failed and tried again, but it was all to no avail. The king and family were found slaughtered, their blood splattered across the wall and their flesh eaten. How does that sound?" he asked as he pointed his blade at the already sounded king.

"Please, leave us be and you can have whatever you want." Rosa said as she held onto her husband.

"Nah, what's the fun in that? Wouldn't it be more fun is I cut the head of your daughter right here and now? Yes, her blood would certainly stain these nice floors, and maybe I'll even made her into a trophy. Doesn't that sound wonderful?" he asked in a manacle tone.

"No! If you touch her I'll~!"

"You'll what? Kill me? But you've already tried that, but alas I still stand. So why don't you be a good girl and hand her over." he demanded.

As he drew closer she hugged both her frightened daughter and wounded lover close as it seemed their end would come together, or was it? As he stepped forward a voice echoed through the castle as the young elf stepped forward. His face telling his foe that he was royally pissed off.

"Oh, and who's this? Another one of your servants for me to slaughter?" he asked as he pulled out his lancer.

"Ether run, get out of here!" Elaina cried out.

"Hmph, so you're the big boss here right? You're the one calling all the shots?" he asked as he secretly formed a fireball behind his back.

"Indeed, and you would be?" he asked in a calm manner.

"Ether, but you don't won't be seeing me for long, you'll be dead by my flame!" he exclaimed in both anger and passion as he let loose a powerful blast of fire.

"Wait, that won't on him! Run!" pleaded Elaina.

"What?!"

At first it confused him; a person able to disable magic? That was just unheard of, but lo and behold the moment his attack reached the fiend it simply vanished into thin air. As he stared in disbelief the masked assailant began moving towards him with the intent to kill.

"You're right, I won't be seeing you for long. Now how would you rather die elf? Slow and painfully, or quite and painlessly?" he asked as he swung his weapon.

With quick reaction though he blocked the attack only for another to follow-up in its place. Something wasn't right with him though. The vibes he gave off wasn't like that of a common criminal, but instead like that of a demon. Pure hatred, that's all he could feel as their blades connected.

"I won't let you take them from me you demon!" he roared as he went at him with rapid fire stabbing.

But no matter how many times he tried to stab him that damn lancer always got in his way. How was he moving it so quickly? Was he an elf like he was? No, even though the mask hid his face there were no signs of pointed ears, but then what could he had been? As his mind wandered though his guard lowered as his enemy locked the curved point of his blade under the metal blade of his, and with one good tug he was left defenseless as the sword landed on the flood.

"You're weak!" he exclaimed as he kicked him in the stomach.

As he fell backwards he could see where exactly where he was headed. He had no magic, no weapon, all he had left were his fists, and even that wouldn't help in his case. As he laid on the floor defeated he watched as his foe towered over him with his blade pointed right at his chest.

"Just like those before you failed urchin. I hope you find peace in the afterlife." he said as his weapon was raised.

As she watched the events transpire in front of her very eyes Elaina's anger began to grow as she got up and began a direct attack on their attacker. The earth shook under her feet as she bawled up her right hand into a fist. Her eyes locked on him.

"I'll kill you if you so much as touch him with that thing!" she thought as she approached him.

"Elain you can't win this sweetie!" her mother called out as she tried to move only for her husband to cry out in pain as blood flowed from his chest wound.

She wasn't joking either if he even dared to cut his hair with that blood coated weapon she would stomp him into the ground like an insect. It was a big mistake on her part though to think she could attack him so have hazardly for the moment she threw a punch towards him he simply dodged, and with a flick of his hand she was sent onto her back.

"Ether..." she said as her muscles ached.

What had he done to her? Every muscle in her body felt so weak that she could barely push herself up. Her eyes widen though as she saw him raise his blade one last time to finish the job. She pushed and pushed as she forced herself up, but all it did was cause even more pain. As Ether laid there he could see what his future would be like as he closed his eyes; hoping it would be quick and painless.

"Be grateful that you fall by my hand." he said before thrusting downwards.

What seemed like the end of his life though turned out to be the opposite. Only inches away from his chest the blade stopped. Why did he stop his own attack? Was he having second thoughts? Hardly, instead he simply slipped his weapon back into its holster on his belt and began walking away.

"You're lucky I'm needed, but cross my path again and I promise I'll drain you of every drop of blood."

As he laid there though he saw the masked attacker sprout wing from his cloak, and with one kick off the ground he was off. With a sigh of relief Elaina and her mother relaxed as all the other beasts began leaving their now burned city. But someone wasn't finished with him, not by a long shot.

"Grrrr come on get up! You can't just let him fly away like this." he thought to himself as he struggled to conquer his fear of death.

All those people out there running, screaming, panicking, it was all caused by him. The men, women, and children, he was going to take all their fear and sadness and fucking kill him with it! As he got to his knees he reached over for his trusty weapon before forcing himself to his feet. Yeah he was afraid of death, but if he was going to be a great knight he couldn't just lay there while their enemy got away.

"Ether please, he's going to kill you." Elaina said to try to stop him as she pushed herself to her knees.

"Elaina, everyone, if you just have a little faith in me I promise you this. I won't lose!"

With all his anger, and all his strength he held his sword tight as he kicked off the ground. His target was in sight as he prepared to end it all. With his sword pulled back he stopped just in time to land the final blow.

"It's over, you lose!" he proclaimed as he swung his sword.

But as the blade approached his neck he felt something in his mid section. Looking down he realized he had made the wrong choice as the blade of his enemy had pierced his his abdomen. The sharp sting followed by an unbelievable amount of pain rushed through his body, but he couldn't yell or scream as the masked murder turned to face him.

"You've chosen poorly. Remember my name as you enter the afterlife, Milonis." he said before pulling his weapon away.

For a second he thought it was just a dream, but as he fell to the ground he looked down at his blood soaked hand and realized that it was all but that. His vision began to blur as darkness surrounded him once more. The last thing he head was his best friend calling out to him as his eyes closed shut.

"Ether, Ether please open your eyes!" she said as he laid in her hands before tears began rolling down her face.

As her knees gave out the blood of her friend began dripping through her fingers. She wanted to believe that he wasn't gone but he wasn't moving, and it didn't seem like he was breathing either. As she placed him on the floor Marwin and his troops came rushing in with the good news.

"Malady, the enemy forces are falling back! And..." but when he saw his student's body resting on the floor he immediately stopped talking and ran over.

"What in the hell happened here?" one of troops asked as they gathered to see what had transpired.

"A stab to the mid abdomen it looks like." he said as he used a piece of cloth to cover the wound.

"I couldn't stop him from..." she tried to say as tears fell from her eyes before punching the floor, the stone collapsing under her fist.

"I see. Medic, report at once!" he demanded.

As their medic ran around to inspect what had happened Marwin moved so he would have plenty of room to work. First he checked to make sure he still had a pulse. Once that was established they could move on from there.

"Whew, he's still hanging in there, but who knows how much blood he's lost. I'll need to act quickly if he's going to make it through this." he said as he pulled up the sleeves of his cloak.

When she heard the good news her tears stopped as she helped remove his vest and shirt so nothing got in the way. Once the wound was bare he placed his right hang along his mid section and slowly traced it before a small green field of energy formed around the wound.

"There, that should do the trick." he told them as the wound began healing itself from the inside out.

"He'll be OK then?" she asked as she scooped him up.

"Yes, but you'll need to let him rest. That wound seemed pretty deep; he's lucky none of his vitals were hit or else we would have another casualty on our hands." he said as they looked to the king.

"Let's attend to the king next." Marwin suggested.

While they tended to her father Elaina took her wounded friend to her room to sleep off his pain. For a moment she thought she had lost one of her best friends, but at least he would be alright after a good sleep. She couldn't help but smile a bit as he laid in her hands; he looked so peaceful just laying there. Once in her room she walked to her bed and gently placed him on one of her pillows.

"There we go. Now you get plenty of rest you here and let the others handle the rest." she told him before climbing into bed with him.

No one was going to take him away from her, and she was going to make sure of that. He would pay, that masked criminal would feel the wrath of her foot if they met again. He would draw his last breath before her!


	5. Chapter 4 Corruption Returns

Chapter 4

Corruption Returns

Where was he? Last he remembered he got stabbed and then nothing, the whole thing was a bit of a blur as he awoke from his slumber. As he opened his eyes he reached down to find that the hole in his body had vanished, like it hadn't been there at all. With a sigh of relief he turned to face up, but as he looked out the window to his right he thought back to the fight he had with Milonis. Something about him was different; never in his life had he buckled under fear like that since that day.

"What was it then? Grrrr, next time I'll kick his butt for sure no matter how scared I am." he said as he threw his fist against the pillow.

As he thought about it though he remember his trembling hands and the fear that washed over him when they fought one another. He couldn't see his whole face, but those yellow eyes would never leave him. As he turned to his side though he saw his giantess friend sleeping beside him with her body turned towards him. With a smile he stood up and carefully walked over to her.

"You've been with me all this time huh? Don't worry, if he comes back I'll squash him. We both can together." he promised as he ran his fingers through her hair before planting a kiss on her forehead.

It was just a relief that she and her family were OK. Besides possibly Marwin they were really the only family he had, and he was determined to protect them by any means, but especially her. As not only their friend but as a future knight he promised to always guard them with his life, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

"You cried did you? Don't worry I'm back. Just sleep for right now and come find me when you're up alright?" he asked before large lips.

Nope, no he couldn't think of thing like that at the moment, first things first he had to grab his shirt and vest from off the table beside him, and then it was off to the town to see what the damages were. With steady feet he jumped up and grabbed on the side of the table before pulling himself up. No big deal, and to his surprise they also brought up his sword and gadgets.

"Hm, next time for sure." he said with confidence as he grabbed his shirt and vest.

Even though the shirt had a hole in it the lancer didn't leave that big of a mark on it, and as for his vest it still looking pretty clean as well. With himself dressed he grabbed his sword, goggles, and hook shot before jumping to the floor.

"Whoa, ugh got to take it easy I guess." he said as he wobbled a bit upon landing.

It must had been from the loss of blood, but at least he could still walk. So after a long walk down to the bottom floor he began to notice that everything was pretty quiet inside the castle. Then again the king had been injured, and more than likely his wife and servants were tending to his needs. As long as none of them came barreling towards him he was alright.

"Marwin, maybe I should look for him." he said as he ran towards the entrance.

If anything the king and queen probably didn't want to be disturbed so his next best option was to find Marwin to see if he had any answers. The knight's living quarters weren't that far away, and knowing them they were already planning on a counter attack. As he walked down the street though he saw people sitting along the sidewalk with tears running down their faces. Corpses of those who had parished in the attack were wrapped up and laid next to their loved ones so they could say their final goodbyes. Meanwhile the royal were up and about helping any of those in need, whether it was fishing them out of rubble or getting the hungry food and water.

"Huh? What are those two doing?" he asked as he saw two small cat children trying to lift up pieces of wood.

As they moved around though he saw that there was someone half trapped under the mass of wood and stone. If she wasn't set free the stone and wood would collapse on top of her and crush her to death. They would be without a family, just like he was. Without a second though he rushed over to help out.

"Come on you two you've got to push real harm you hear me?" he told them as he gripped the piece of wood trapping her.

They weren't sure who he was, but they seemed happy he was there as they pulled up on the wood. Using every bit of energy his muscles could produce he began pushing up, up, and more up as pieces of stone were heard rolling down the back of the structure. All three worked their hardest to insure her survival as their muscles strained.

"Come on you bastard, push, push!" he grunted as he gritted his teeth.

And with every bit of strength he could muster he pushed the wooden slab off from off the mother. As he held up the piece of wood the two kids grabbed her arms and pulled her out with all their might. Once she was out he let it fall as his muscles gave out.

"Mommy?" one of them asked as they flipped her over on her back.

"Hold on, let me check her out." said Ether as he kneeled.

As he pressed his ear against her chest he listened for her heart beat. It was there, but it didn't sound all that strong. As he stood back up he caught the sight of one of the royal guards. Quickly he rushed over to help aid the two children.

"Excuse me." he said as he ran over to the lion.

"Yes, do you require assistance?"

"Yeah, there was a woman trapped under some debris. We got her out, but she seems to be in need of medical attention." he said as he pointed to the three to his right.

As the soldier looked on though he seemed familiar with the woman. Once he saw her face he rushed over to help as the two kids kept pushing at her body. Was it someone he knew?

"Carol, hey come on Carol you can wake up." he said as he held her up.

"Huh, Yelmi?" he heard her say as she began coming too.

"Oh thank the gods...sorry I wasn't here earlier. I tried looking for you all over the place but I couldn't find you anywhere." he explained.

"It's alright..." he groaned.

"Huh, well I guess my work here is done." he said as he walked off.

"Thank you, thank you so much." Yelmi said as he scooped up his wife as his kids followed him to the medical facility.

Huh, that actually felt really good to him. Seeing those three all happy that their family was back together and all sent a pretty nice feeling though his body. As he approached the barracks though he heard a ruckus going on in the inside. As he pushed the door open he saw Marwin, Kyrak, and their fellow knights surrounding someone who was tied to a chair.

"Alright it's time you to spill it. Where are the good?" Kyrak asked in a commanding tone as he smacked the goblin's face all around.

"I ain't giving you nothing." the goblin replied angrily before spitting on the punk's face.

"Ugh, why you little..." he hissed as he reached for his blade.

"Now Kyra don't be so rash. During times like this you've got to keep a cool head. Now sir?" Marwin asked as he moved his subordinate out-of-the-way so he could step forward.

"Yeah, what is it?" the green punk asked as he grew more and more frustrated.

Now everyone knew that their captain was one to always keep a cool head, but what they heard next was a completely different side of him.

"You better tell us what we need to know or may the gods help you I'll rip your liver, kidney, and every one of those damned organs out of your body and eat them raw!" he exclaimed as his fellow knights backed up.

Instead of answering though the green punk simply spat in his face as a sign of resistance before he turned his head away. As their captain wiped the slime from his face everyone backed up as they knew what was about to go down between them, and for their little friend it promised to be a most painful one.

"So that's a no." he said as he removed his white gloves.

"What do you think?" he hissed.

"Very well." he simply said as he took a deep breath.

After a few deep breaths their fun could begin as his eyes flashed open. In mere second the creäture found itself in intense pain as Marwin opened up his hand. He wanted so much to kill him but what good would that do them? Instead he decided to torture him into submission.

"So you deny us information to where you were sent from..." he said as he began closing his hand.

The closer his hand got to forming a fist the more pain rushed through its body as his body felt as if it was being squeezed and pulled; its organs breaking at the same time.

"You refuse to coöperate when we gave you the chance..." he said as he used his other hand to lift the chair up.

It was getting close, its death was drawing near as its body began giving up. It felt like he was being stretched out and squeezed by a giant. With a loud groan though they finally got the answer they were looking for.

"Alright...alright I'll tell you..." he groaned as the pain continued.

"Oh will you now? Then tell us what we need to know and then we'll set you free." he promised.

"We were sent here by our master from the Empire of Kronos. All he told us was if we succeeded we would be rewarded, that's all we were told. Please let me go!" it begged as the pain increased.

"Is that all?" asked Marwin as he pulled the beast closer so they were eye to eye.

"Yes, yes I promise." he pleaded.

In his eyes all he could see inside Marwin's eyes was emptiness. He showed no fear or guilt about what he had just done, but why should he have? After a few second though he released him from his spell and untied the ropes.

"Now get out of here." he said with a deadly stare.

"Thank you sir." he said in return as it ran towards the door.

But he should have known not to turn his back to their captain. In a blink of an eye the punk found itself engulfed in flames before he collapsed into ash. Nothing but a pile of black dust remained of their captive as Marwin slipped his gloves back on.

"I thought you said you would let him go." Kyrak said as he stepped forward.

"It's call misdirection, I suggest you all learn up on that." he told his troops as they all moved towards the door.

As they left though Kyrak noticed something on the floor; a dark purple gem the size of a walnut laid before him. From what he could tell no magic radiated from it as he reached down to pick it up. Did it come from that thing's body?

"Captain!" he shouted.

"Yes Kyrak, what is it this time?"

"This was found in the ashes. I'm not sure what it is but that thing was carrying it on his person the entire time." he answered as he handed him the gem.

"Hm...interesting. We'll report this to the king at once and see what action he wants to take against this." he told him as he slipped the crystal into his pocket.

As the doors opened Ether stepped back so he wouldn't get crushed by, but when Marwin saw him a slight smile spread across his face.

"Ah Ether, I take it you're doing alright now?" he asked as his men moved towards the castle.

"Yeah, still a bit sore but I'll be fine." he answered with confidence.

"Good, be sure to get lots of rest. You don't want to collapse from exhaustion do you?" he asked as he walked off.

"No..."

Just thinking about the fight made him depressed. He thought after so long that he would of had a chance to rise to the top, but what kind of knight couldn't protect their city let alone their friends? As he wandered the streets he began thinking of ways he could cheer himself up, but nothing was really coming to mind. All around depression and sadness covered the town. As he walked along though he looked down at his blade and stared at his reflection as memories floated around in his head.

"It happened again...gods damn it! Am I really that pathetic? To be defeated so easily...I don't deserve to carry this blade." he said as his hands began shaking.

Just before he could drop his past the present came up from behind in the form of the princess. She had woken up but she didn't seem too happy. A sad look overshadowed her face as she looked down at her friend.

"Ether...I..."

Instead of just standing there though he took his grappling device and hooked her before it pulled him straight up to her shoulder. As he sat there he patted the back of her neck to let her know it was all OK.

"I'm sorry Elaina, I was a moron to think I could just charge in like that. A god damn moron..." he sighed.

When he looked over at her though he noticed tears were starting to well up under her eyes. As he stood up though he wipes the tears away from her right eye just to let her know he was still there for her, but that did little to cheer her up.

"I'm sorry...all this is my fault. If I hadn't been so helpless and weak then you...and everyone..."

"Elaina..."

"I'm the princess, I'm suppose to help protect my people, but I couldn't...I just couldn't do it. And now they suffer." she said as more tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Hey now don't go blaming yourself for all of this OK? If anything it's mine for letting him get away, but I promise if he shows his face around here again I'll shove that mask right up his ass and kick him out personally."

"Ether..." she said softly as she looked over at him.

"And don't you dare say this is your burden, this is everyone's. We'll all hold you up, and I'll be there to support you till the end of the line." he said as he gave her neck a gentle kiss.

"You...you promise?" she asked as she dried her eyes.

"Yeah, I'll never abandon you, and I'll always be here at your side for always and eternity." he proclaimed as he ran a hand through her hair.

As she dried her eyes she leaned over slightly and pushed her soft lips up against the left side of his head, and with a big smooch she gave him a little reward for protecting her family. Sure it was pretty wet but he didn't mind as he smiled up at her. The smile that always made her do the same.

"Thanks, but what about your house?"

"Yeah that's true. Would you mind an extra guest?" he asked of her.

"Yeah sure. Which room would you like?" she asked as they both walked back to the castle.

"How about yours heh?" he asked with a smirk spread across his face.

"W-Wait mine? But we have tons of other rooms that you can~"

"But just in case that punk comes back I better also sleep in your bed as well." he interrupted, knowing it would make her blush.

"Y-Yeah sure, but you won't do anything too weird right?" she asked as her cheeks lit up.

"If you mean by weird you mean something like this."

And just like that she found him snuggled in her cleavage with only his arms keeping him from slipping even further down. She wasn't entirely sure if he was just doing it to be a pervert or if he was trying to cheer her up, but it did make her giggle a bit. He was almost like a wooden figure but more naughty.

"Hehe hey now if mother sees you like that how do you think she would react?"

"Oh she wouldn't mind. Plus I could just slip down a bit father and boom, instant hiding space." he teased as he relaxed in the squishy heaven.

With a roll of her eyes she pushed what he said aside as they entered her bedroom. All he had were the clothes on his back, but that was really all he needed. If he had time later though he decided he would run out and grab any remaining clothes that hadn't been torn to shreds in the ruins of his once comfy home. As he started to relax though a strange feeling overcame him in his lower body.

"Ugh, be right back." he said as he rushed off to the restroom.

"You do know where it is right?" she asked, knowing what that groan meant.

"The top floor, to the left, last door on my right." he said as he ran out the door.

It took some time to get there, but once he arrived he let nature take over. He wasn't surprised though after all it had been almost a day since his last trip. As he pushed the door back open and zipped up his pants he heard a few familiar voices coming from the room across from him.

"Marwin?"

As he peaked through the crack in the door he saw that not only was Marwin and his men present but so were his servants and his wife. He the king though was still laying in bed as his royal guard stood on the table beside him. What were they talking about though?

"Ah, I should have seen this coming a mile away. I knew it wouldn't be enough to simply banish him from our lands." his majesty said as he held the small gem in his hand.

"Who is this person you speak of sir?" asked Marwin.

He seemed rather hesitant to tell them but being his royal guard he had no other choice.

"Before your time, before any of your times there was once an emperor that went by the name of Kronos."

"Kronos my lord?"

"Yes, he was also known as the Emperor of Corruption. He used the power he possessed to control his people, and those who disobeyed him faced certain death. The power of the Corruption was strong, it could take control of the hearts of any race and turn them against each other. War, that's all he wanted so that he could control our world with an iron fist."

"And the crystal?"

"More than likely it he used as a medium so his troops wouldn't realize what they were doing."

"So what you're telling us is there's some bastard out there that's trying to pull the same crap all over again?" askedKyrak.

"Indeed the very same, but this time around it seems he's even stronger than before. If he's not stopped and soon we could find ourselves living in a world stained with Corruption." he explained.

"OK so how did you get rid of him last time?" asked Marwin.

"We used a medium, a large slab of stone etched with symbols of a seal and used it to drain him of his power, then we banished him from our land for his crimes. This time thought it might be a bit tougher. It's clear he's returned to his empire and that his servants are out to do his dirty work. It seems the only way we can beat him now is by doing what he did to us."

"You mean?"

"A direct attack on his empire, but it isn't that simple. It may take us weeks to get there and who knows how many of his men may come looking for us, and the city..."

"Yeah the city would be vulnerable to an attack." said Kyrak.

"Yes, but not if we leave some men behind to defend it. I suggest that my second in command say here along with a few hundred troops while we venture out with our own army."

"Captain are you really doing this now?" asked Kyrak.

"Yes I'm really doing this. Those bastards came here and killed gods know how many of our people. And while our city lies in ruins he sits there mocking us. We must take this chance to strike back before it's too late!"

Everyone seemed pretty inspired for his words, but in the end it was up to their king of they were to go through with it.

"Yes, I give you approval to take on this challenge, and with me at your side." their king said as he climbed out of bed.

"But honey shouldn't you stay here? I mean you just got finished recovering." his wife said as she ran over to him.

"My love, those foul creatures destroyed our city and slaughtered our people. As king it's my duty to uphold justice and if that means traveling across the land to stop this from happening again then I'll gladly do it." he said as he wrapped his arms around her.

Knowing how stubborn her husband could be she knew it there was no use in trying to stop him, but still she was worried about his safety.

"Oh...you promise you'll return to me in one piece?" she asked worryingly.

"Not only will I return in one piece, but I'll return home the victor." he assured her as he gave her a little kiss.

"My lord if we're to do this we must prepare the troops at once." Marwin told him as he and his men jumped to the floor.

"Right go gather those who are willing to come with us, and Jules prepare my suit. For tomorrow morning we march towards a brighter future!"

"Yes sir!" everyone shouted as they rushed off.

As everyone rushed to the young elf took off down the hallway before they could see him eavesdropping in them. BeforeMarwin could leave though Serion stopped him as he knelt down to the desk.

"What is it?"

"It's Ether." he asked.

"What about him?"

"This is the second time this has happened, but he's much older now. What if he decides to follow?"

"He won't, my men will be stationed at every entrance and all throughout the city. He'll have to get through them if he wants to tag along."

"Right, but don't you think he has the right to go?"

"No, if he went then he wouldn't be able to see past his own desire." Marwin answered.

"What would it be?"

"His desire to slay that who killed his kind."


	6. Chapter 5 The Adventure Begins

Chapter 5

The Adventure Begins

And so be it after much planning by Sarion and his men that their route had been planned out and while it wasn't the safest of routes it was the quickest. Everyone was nervous especially the newly crescent knights who signed up for it, but they knew their duties and it would go against what they knew to run away. As the sun began reaching the middle of the sky Sarion left it to his main man Marwin to gather the troops and explain their plan of action, and while they were doing that he was busy getting ready to embark on what could have been his last journey.

"Sir your armor is ready for you." one of their servants said as he entered their bedroom.

"Very good I'll be there in a few minutes." he replied as he straightened out his collar.

Now that he had on his cloths there was only one last thing to slip on. Once he buttoned up his shirt he reached for the black box atop his dresser and opened it to find his good old ring, but it wasn't just ant ordinary ring. Crafted by a single mage far away in the land of Cretin this ring could limit the magic he used when shrinking down which meant there was a lot less chance of him stepping on any of his men.

"Sweetie?" he heard his wife say as she knocked on the door.

"Yes?" he asked as he slipped the ring on.

"The men report that all supplies is present and accounted for up just as requested."

"Excellent, be sure to enlist in some hunters as well for if we run out. You've seen how ravenous they can get." he asked of her.

"Of course, but are you sure you want to do this? I mean what if something happens and you don't return?" she asked worryingly.

"Oh my dear I promise you I'll return to your arms in one pieces and afterwards we can celebrate the winter together with our daughter." he said as he caressed her face.

"Hm...just be careful out there. Who knows what else could be waiting." she said before kissing him.

After they parted lips though he gave her a smile before heading out to equip his armor. Meanwhile up in the northern district Marwin discussed their plan with Kyrak and the others while they marked it down on their maps. Easy to say they weren't exactly the most thrilled with his choices of stops.

"Does everyone have that down?" he asked as he put away his marker.

"Yeah but just one question. Are you trying to get us all killed?! Seriously what's with these places? The Swamp of Illusions? The Desert of Siran? And who knows what could be at anymore of those stops." Kyrak complained.

"Yes I understand your concern quite well but this is the shortest route and though there might be trouble just stay on your toes, be alert and you'll be fine."

"Yeah but sir."

While they all talked about their plan of action though they failed to notice their little fly on the wall, or in this case on the ceiling. While they fought among themselves Ether took the opportunity to copy down where all their tops would be so he could mark down his own across his map as he hung upside down from one of the beams above. Even if the blood was rushing to his head he managed to ignore it as he copied every little detail down.

"Does everyone have that down? Yes? Then let's move out." Marwin told him troops before they began leaving.

Now that he had their plan all copied down there was only the matter of food and supplies to gather up. Once he slipped the map back in his right pocket he swung himself up until he stood on the beam before jumping out the hatch on the roof.

"Heh I'll show them I can make it on my own." he said as he slid down the gutter pipe.

According to Marwin they were planning to leave in a few hours so their team could prepare and ready themselves for the trek ahead and the same went for him. After he was back outside he quickly made his way to the shopping district in hope that there were at least one or two stands open after what had happened. Lucky for him though there was but they didn't have much to offer.

"Sorry kid all we've got is one piece of fresh boar meat, a few cans of beans, and a canteen."

"Hm well how much for everything?"

"About three silver pieces."

Ouch that was gonna put a hole in his pocket but if wanted food he was going have to suck it up and hand it over. Once he handed him the exact amount the tenant loaded everything up in a bag before handing it to him. Yeah it looked pretty pitiful but maybe he could hunt for food later on down the line. Thank the gods he'd been saving up.

"Thank you and come again." he said as he bowed to Ether.

And with a bow back he was off. Next came the fact he hadn't any clothes except for the ones on his back thanks to those stupid monsters and if he didn't want to keep washing them every night it was best to pick up what he could find. But as it turned out there weren't any clothing shops open which spelt bad news for him.

"Okay that was a bust but maybe I can get some training in before things get rolling." he thought to lift his spirits.

Who knew what else was out there waiting for them and he knew he had a limit of what he could do but that didn't mean he couldn't squeeze in a bit of practice before leaving. Thankfully there was no one else in the arena except for the dummies they used to train with.

"Jump slash, spiral slash, stab, and up slash, yeah let's give that a try." he said before tossing his supplies to the side.

Back outside in the city though Elaina was doing something more productive with her time. Instead of sleeping in like she normally did she decided to help out with the reconstruction and with her large size lifting large pieces of stone and wood wasn't a problem. They were far from done though for more than half the buildings had been completely wrecked by the sudden attack which only meant more work for her.

"Alright and that should do it for this baby. Why don't we all take a break and come back in say an hour." Harold told his men as they all broke.

Having worked for most of the day so far sweat was running down her face and she was desperately thirsty, but first she wanted to find Ether to check up on him. Having his home destroyed was one thing but attacking his home city was something completely different and if her instincts were right he was probably burning off some steam in the arena like always did. As she shrunk down and proceeded towards the northern district she began thinking of ways to boost his more cheerful mood.

"Oh maybe a nice buffet of food will help him, but most of the vendors are out. Ah I know I can go hunting then we'll have enough, but the guards won't let anyone leave that's not part of the team. Come on brain think what would he like?" he asked as she neared the stone arena.

As she drew close she began hearing loud grunts as the sound of clanging metal echoed through the structure. Yep just as she figured he was slashing away at the leather dummies that spilt sand every time he cut into them. Though she couldn't tell he was in full overdrive as he cut off their heads before throwing his sword directly at the last one's chest.

"Ether..." she sighed as she leaned on the door.

Once he had his fun though he turned to wipe the sweat from his head before spotting her watching him from the entrance.

"What's going on?" he asked as he looked at her.

"I just came to see if you're alright. You're not mad or anything right?" she asked as she walked to him.

"Nah what gave you that idea?" he asked as he pulled his blade free from the dummy's chest.

"I don't know maybe you wanna ask those dummies you mutilated."

"Oh that, well okay maybe I'm a tiny bit mad."

"Thought so, want to talk about it?" she asked as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"Eh it's more of a personal thing." he said as he slipped his sword back into its scabbard.

"Well I'm all ears."

His problems were his own but then she was his friend and if there was something he needed more than anything it was a bit of comfort.

"Elaina I want an honest answer. Do you think I would make a good knight?" he asked in a serious tone.

"Huh why ask that? You're great at fighting and your heart is in the right place most of the time. Heck you even came to our aid when we were in trouble yesterday remember?"

"Yeah and look how that turned out."

"The point being you still protected us with your life and we're very grateful for that."

The thought of losing them was just terrible and though they weren't related by blood the kind and queen always treated him like a part of their family and that's how he wanted it to stay. Not only that but the citizens of Amnear were only trying to make a living and seeing those heathens come and ruin that just got his blood boiling. This was why he wanted to become a knight, and this was why he wanted to follow along with Sarion and his men.

"Hey Elaina?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks." he said before pulling her over for a bit hug.

It took a her by a surprise but once she felt his warmth she wrapped her arms around him as they embraced each other.

"You're not a failure and whatever happens we'll always be friends okay?" she told him as she rubbed his back.

"Same here." he replied as they separated.

"Good, now what do you say we have a spar?" she asked.

"Oh yeah one second in and I'm already flattened."

"Hey I'm not that unfair. I'll tell you what though there'll be no magic just these." she said as she walked over to the weapon's rack where all the wooden replicas sat.

"Good idea." he said as she tossed him the training sword.

Ah it wasn't but a few years back that he first handled one of those trainee sword and it still felt just as good to hold, but when she picked her weapon his stomach almost dropped. A large hammer that was mostly used by the larger trainees but since she had the strength of a giantess it felt much lighter to her as she spun it around a bit. No worries though so as long as he kept on his toes things would turn out right for him.

"Just because you're my friend doesn't mean I'll go easy on ya now. Heck I may even play a bit dirty." he teased as he clenched one of his fists.

"Oh growing some big ones are ya?"

"Heh I'm not one to go easy on a..."

The number one rule of fighting: always focus on the target and that he failed to do as she got the jump on him. With her hammer held high she came at him from above but being who he was the moment he saw her he instantly rolled out-of-the-way before going in for his own attack; an skyward slash would do the trick. But instead she used the wooden head to block before knocking him under the chin.

"Oof, alright, nice shot but let's see how well you dodge these." he said as he rubbed the red mark under his mouth.

She may had gotten the best of him then but how would she handle a barrage of stabs? Answer, she couldn't, or at least not completely anyway. He was just too fast as he pokes her chest and stomach along with her shoulder while blocking as many as she could, but in the end she found herself kneeling on the ground clutching her stomach.

"Oh crap are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah I'm just..."

But nope it was all a trap to get him to lower his guard, or did it? As she swung up he blocked with his own weapon before jumping back to safety.

"You saw through that huh?"

"The whole injured card? Oh yeah Marwin taught me that long ago." he replied they readied for each other's next move.

While they were working up a sweat though Rosa was a bit busy observing the progress of the reconstruction while also helping those who needed it. The events that transpired left a lot of people homeless but if she could help she would. As she passed by the knight's academy though she heard two familiar voices coming from over the wall before she decided to peak over.

"Oh those two." she thought as she watched her daughter and friend fight.

It wasn't an uncommon sight though; normally if they had some free time they were either up and about in the city to training to hone their skills together. Still seeing them work together in such a way brought a smile to her face. It seemed like only yesterday that he was just a child that they helped care for and now look at him. A determined young man who didn't know the meaning of the word "unobtainable".

"Oh? All tuckered out?" she said as she watched them both fall to the ground as her daughter grew back to her normal size.

Oh yeah they were beat alright after all the running around they had been doing and the heat didn't help either but that couldn't be helped. So instead they both laid next to each other as they caught their breath.

"Whew good match." he said as he tapped her elbow.

"You too...but what now?" she asked as she took deep breaths.

"Hm...well no one has won yet except for now!" she growled before jumping on her.

She may had been much bigger than he but that only made it easier to get to her ticklish spots as he crawled all over her body. Her sides and feet those were her major weak points and he knew it as he jumped down her left side before wiggling his finger over it.

"Heheh hey stop it that tickles." she giggled.

"Oh ho I've found a giantess' weak spot I see. Then how about this!" he told her before using both hands.

"Please I give I give!" she begged as her feet hit the ground, making it shake.

A classic tickle fest and she surrendered just like that, but how couldn't she? Even with his small hands she could still feel the tingling feeling that ran through her sides each time. Once he stopped though she snatched him up before doing the same to him except to the bottom of his feet once she took his boots off.

"No, no-no don't you dare." he begged.

But did she listen? No, instead she began tickling the very bottom as he tried holding in his laughs. He would not concedeas he began wiggling his way out of her hand. It took a bit of time all the while she kept trying to tickle him more but once free she was in for something unexpected. Instead of hopping down he jumped head first into her outfit before squirming all over.

"He-Hey what are you doing?!" she exclaimed she felt him wiggling around.

"Heh revenge!" he cried out before he began tickling all over her body.

"No please don't..." she begged as she felt him move across her stomach to each side.

It was almost like an itch she could scratch but instead of an inch it was a ant that wouldn't stop torturing her. As Rosa watched though she knew it was all in good fun as she kept watching. Once he had his fun though he popped up between her breasts and jumped out before standing tall.

"Uh huh that's what you get for trying to tickle me." she said with a smirk.

"Hmph you didn't have to go that far though." she told him before flicking his forehead gently.

"Heh yeah well it looks like I win again." he said as he hopped on her shoulder.

"Mhm whatever you say." she replied with a smile as she picked up his bag.

And so for the next few hours they went about their own business as Elaina helped out back home while he helped out with supplying people with rations. As the clock struck three however everyone stopped what they were doing before turning to the king and his men. All dressed in suits of armor and were well equipped to deal with any dangers ahead as they all headed for the city entrance.

"See you soon daddy!" Elaina exclaimed as she waved from the palace steps.

"Same here sweetie!" he yelled back as the driver of the carriage forced their group forward.

Seeing her father leave wasn't that difficult; after all he'd gone on many treks before and always came back alive. Still she did worry a little with all the Corruption out there but as long as she kept believing he would come back she knew he would. One by one each carriage left as soldiers marched beside them for protection and once the last one passed through the guards began blocking off all entrances to the city in mind of the people's safety but watching from around the corner was Ether as he watched the king and his men disappear into the forest.

"Hm, this could get a bit tricky." he thought as he tightened the straps of bag.

There were five of them and only one of him, but maybe if he could convince him to let him out then maybe he could make a run for it. Hey it was worth a shot. And so after a deep breath he stepped out and made his way towards the group.

"Hey guys you wouldn't mind if I go grab some things from my broken down house would you?" he asked in the most sincerest tone he could muster.

"I'm sorry sir but no one's allowed to leave or enter the city for the time being." one said.

"Oh come on I just need to grab a few things."

"No mean no now run along kid."

Well that was a failure but he still had one trick up his sleeve. As he turned around he tapped the ground with his shoe as two large walls of stone shot up between them all and just like that he had his way out as they moved apart; pushing the men out-of-the-way before running between them.

"Oh for the love of gods get him!" their commander yelled as he used his own magic to crush the stone.

It was all or nothing as he high tailed it towards the forest; once he got there it would be nearly impossible for them to catch him with his acrobatic skills. As he ran though a large hand-made of stone came up from the ground before it began moving quickly towards him. But using his own magic he used the earth below him to form a ramp over the obstacle before it could snatch him up.

"Damn alright Riko move over!" his captain said before slamming his hands down on the ground.

Suddenly the earth began rising as a large tidal wave of dirt and stone headed right for him.

"Hah see ya later suckers!" he asked as he gathered up some wind.

All it took was a large blast of wind to open up a hole in the wave but it was closing fast as he noticed the treeline right outside of it. Quickly he pulled his hook shot from his belt and aimed with extreme precision before pulling the trigger; letting the hook fly high up into the tree. At first though it looked as if it had missed but after the slack tightened the rope began pulling him straight through the hole and into the forest.

"Damn." their captain said as he threw his helmet to the ground.

And just like that he was home free as he hopped from branch to branch while disappearing into the forest. It was goodbye Amnear and hello adventure!


	7. Chapter 6 Mystery Girl of the Forest

Chapter 6

Mystery Girl of the Forest

It must had been hours since he set out and yet he still found himself trudging through the same forest he entered. But at least there was plenty of fruit around along with wildlife he could hunt when he ran out of food. As he jumped from branch to branch he began noticing the sun was starting to set as he stopped in his tracks. He needed a fire to make sure he didn't freeze to death and a shelter of sorts. And so after jumping along the tree line for a bit more he found himself a rather large clearing.

"Perfect." he said as he jumped down to ground level.

Once he was sure the place was clear he began gathering wood and rocks nearby to help with the fire. As he gathered them up though he began thinking about Amnear and how he just left like that. Sure he left a note for Elaina and the others but he couldn't help but feel guilty. But he couldn't just go back after going so far as to defy his fellow knights like that.

"What would Elaina and Rosa say?" he thought before dumping the bundle down near his camp.

Oh well in the end he made his own choice and thought some would probably find it beyond dumb he had his reasons. After setting his back down he began constructing a nice little fire to light up the night with the rocks forming the border to keep it away from the nearby grass and the sticks to help the fire along. And after all that what did he have? A pathetically small fire that barely lit up the area around him.

"There you go just get on up in there and give me some light." he said as he lit the branches up.

It wasn't much but it would keep him warm until morning. While it crackled and spread to the other branches food came to mind as his stomach began growling. Good thing he brought that bit of meat and his pan, but there was still a problem; he had nothing to set it on.

"Dang, well lets see branch, rock, branch, branch...more branches...just my luck." he sighed

If they were more sturdy than a twig sure he could have made a little holder for his pan but instead they were all brittle and sensitive. Well it looked like he was gonna have to do it the old fashion way which meant holding the pot over the flames himself until the slab cooked enough. What a pain but if he wanted to eat he had no other he held it there though he decided to study a bit on the power of light that Rosa had begun; heck maybe he could surprise them both by mastering it by the time they returned.

"Malok Racul Hashen Talon." he recited as he cleared his mind of everything.

His peace of mind didn't last too long though the sound of footsteps grew close. Quickly he sat the pan down before reaching for his sword . What was it? Bandits? The wildlife? Or maybe some nasty trolls that smelled the slab of beef cooking. Whatever it was going to have to deal with him as he stood up.

"Hello?Who's out there?" he asked as his voice echoed around the trees and through the forest.

Still no answer but the footsteps were getting louder as he looked around more, but it was pretty hard to see since the fire barely covered the small area around him.

"I'm warning you I've got a sword and I'm not afraid to use it." he threatened as he turned all around.

As he turned though he spotted a dark figure headed right for him as he backed up a bit past the fire in hope that it would show who it was. His heart almost skipped a beat when it began running towards him as he raised his blade, but as it came closer the outline began looking really familiar. He dared not lower his weapon though in case he was wrong but as it stepped into the light his heart jumped at who he saw.

"Eheh...hey Elaina." he said nervously.

She had nothing to say to him but instead she grabbed the bag that had thrown over her shoulder and gave him a good smack with it.

"Hey what's the big idea?" he asked as he fell after falling to the ground.

"The big idea? This is the big idea!" she exclaimed angrily as she pulled out the note from her one piece training suit.

"Oh yeah, but at least I left it for you." he said as a nervous chuckled followed.

"Yeah I know and you came all the way out here why exactly?" she asked as it wasn't specified in the note.

"It's none of your business." he said as he sat back down near the fire.

"None of my business? Like heck it isn't now come on I'm taking you back now." she said before grabbing his arm

"Nope I'm staying right here thank you very much." he said as he stoked the fire.

"No you're not now let's go." he said before giving him a pull.

"Yes I am." he grunted as he grabbed the handle of his sword he had stabbed into the ground.

As she pulled though her strength came to mind as she let go. Anymore and she would have pulled his arm clean off.

"Okay then can you at leat tell me why you left like that?"

He didn't want to keep secrets from her and he knew she meant well as she sat next to him with her bag resting beside her. But still he didn't want her to get swept up in the whole thing especially if it got her in trouble.

"Those things attacked our home. They destroyed half the city and killed others for what? Their own amusement? Elainalook I'm a knight..."

"In training." she finished.

"Getting to that, anyways as an upcoming knight it's my duty to protect the city but I couldn't even do that; I couldn't even protect you and your family and so I'm gonna track down that bastard that did all this and teach him a lesson he won't ever forget." he said as his fists tightened.

The anger and sadness in his voice; it was real as he looked at the fire. But still it was way too dangerous for him to just run out into the wild like that and even he knew that but his thick skull kept him from seeing it. And so with a sigh she stood up and opened her bag.

"Well I guess we can stay here just for tonight but we're heading back in the morning you here? It's too dangerous out there for us and I don't know what I would do if something happened to you or my father. Please do it for me?" she asked as she flashed those pretty purple eyes at him.

"Eh I'll think about it." he said as he poked at the fire more.

"Good now how about some dinner?" she asked as she reached into her sack.

"What's on the menu?"

What she pulled out though almost made his mouth drop to the ground. Was it a simple bass or a bag full of trout? Nope instead it was an enormous carnivorous Ciropracta; a fish known for its ugly and rough body and fantastic taste if cooked right. Once she had that out she grabbed her knife before growing back full size.

"Could you set up the spit while I do this?" she asked.

"Alright." he answered before pulling out the huge metal rotation device.

Being in the clearing it wasn't as hard to move around unlike walking through the forest and it made skinning and gutting their dinner much easier. As she cut it open he carefully assembled the large spit; thankfully the pieces weren't that heavy.

"As you requested princess." he said with a bow.

"Heh very good now all we do is slide it on here like so and tada we're cooking." she said as he watched.

"Nice, so how did you find me? Actually how did you get out of the city?"

"I snuck out."

"Oh...wait and you call me rude? At least I had the decency to face the guards."

"Hey I left a note for mother." she said while turning the crank as the fish cooked.

"Heh I guess we're not so different when it comes to being naughty." he said as he gave her leg a little smack.

"Mhm and I think it's just about...done." she said before pulling the spit away from the fire.

Now all they had to do was wait for it to cool down a bit before filling their stomachs. As he sat there though guilt overcame him as he looked up at her.

"Sorry about running away like that I guess my wants kinda overpowered my sense of judgement."

"It sure did, but it doesn't matter because tomorrow we'll be back home." she told him before cutting off a piece for them both.

And so as the night went on they both enjoyed their meal while looking at the stars above, but on the opposite side of them things were happening a bit differently for Sarion and his men. After hours of traveling they needed to rest and relax to restore their energy which meant they had to set up their camp, but with the woods being so crowded it seemed impossible; at leat for Marwin and his men. For their king though it was barely a struggle as he cleared away at least thirty or so trees to make way for their tents. With a little over thirty men at his command it was his duty to give them the most comfortable living conditions possible and if that meant killing off some trees then it as a small price to pay.

"Marwin is everything ready for tonight's dinner?" he asked as he shrunk back down.

"Yes sir Darin and his team are unloading the food while Kyrak is cutting out pieces of wood for the fire." he said before pointing to the large trees he'd pulled up.

"Very nice now while out here I want at least fifteen of my men to take the first watch. Tell them if they spot anything suspicious to come to me." Sarion said as he placed his armor down inside his own tent.

"Yes sir."

And so while he worked on that Kyrak used his power over wind to slice and dice the trees up until he was left with pieces of wood big enough for the fire. Bundle after bundle he carried them over as his fellow knights formed a large fire for them to warm up next to; though with there being over a hundred not everyone could gather around. Once they were all laid down one of his teammates proceeded to throw multiple fireballs at it until it lit up.

"Nice work everyone." he said as he patted their backs.

With that up and out-of-the-way they began cooking up their own supply of food while others helped set up the last fewtents. While that was going on though the rest sat back and relax and with the sky being so clear they could see the stars above which made for a nice atmosphere. While they were busy feeding themselves Marwin began looking over the map as Kyrak drank at his side.

"So where's the first stop?" Kyrak asked as he took a sip of his drink.

"Hm, well if the weather works in our favor and head east then probably another day." answered Marwin.

"And you said this place is called San Venganza?"

"Yeah we usually trade with them for training supplies so we'll be welcome there." he answered.

The plan was simple and straight forward: get what supplies they needed, gather information, and if circumstances called for it then they would stay the night but if not then it was back on the road. While they both observed the map and any other possible stops Sarion came up beside them with a mug of rum in his right hand.

"Here for you." he said before offering his commander the drink.

"Oh no thank you I don't drink rum." he said.

"Oh, who wants another cup?!" he yelled as his men ate away at their feast.

"I never figured him for a drinker."

"Well you haven't known him for as long as I have." Marwin chuckled as he rolled up his map.

Just then they heard it; a scream in the night as every jumped to their feet. It sounded like a woman, but what would she be doing out there all by herself at night? Was she hunting? Or maybe she lost her way, but how was that possible when there weren't any towns or villages around the area?

"Where did that come from?" asked Kyrak.

"By the sound of it that way." Marwin replied as he motioned to their right.

Once he had his info Kyrak grabbed a torch before turning to his men.

"Alright my team come with me." he told them sternly.

Of course they listened and grabbed torches of their own, but their main concerns were the creatures that roamed the forest at night in search of food. Sure they had their swords, axes, and crossbows to help out but what if something huge came their way? But in the end everyone agreed to go as they moved away from camp with their commander right behind them.

"Hello?!" Kyrak called out as his torch lit the way.

"Shhh you don't know what's out there." one of men said.

"Shut up you've got your own weapon so use them." he told them.

If there was one thing he couldn't stand it was when his own team tried to chicken out. Their job was a dangerous one and they all knew that, but still they liked living as well. As they moved farther in though they began hearing low growls from all around but with only a limited amount of light they couldn't see up in the trees or all around them.

"Stay close and..." he told them before something caught his eyes.

It was a girl with long green hair laying face down on the ground.

"Now what's she doing out here all on her own?" one asked.

"Is she dead?" another asked as they slowly approached her.

First he checked for a pulse to make sure she was still alive before shaking her a bit.

"Hey wake up. Come on you can't just sleep out here. Get up!" he exclaimed.

Well that got her attention as she looked up at him with those beautiful green eyes.

"Miss are you okay? Do you need medical attention?" he asked.

What she said next sent shivers up their spines.

"Run...they're coming."

"Run from what?" he asked.

As she passed out again the growls from before began getting louder and more vicious as everyone ready for battle. They had each others backs as they formed a circle around the girl something jumped out at them. Before Kyrak could react he found himself pinned to the ground by a large black scaled beast with talons as long as daggers. It seemed more keen on eating him though as he held back its gaping jaws.

"Sir!" they called out before raising their blades.

But he was too slow as the creäture pounced him; its burning yellow eyes looking right at him as its saliva dripped from its drooling mouth.

"Ugh you're ugly you know that?" Kyrak grunted as he pressed his fist against its chest.

In a sudden burst of fire the creäture let out a loud screech that ran in his ears before falling over limp. With a big hole in its chest he tossed him off before jumping back into action. They certainly outnumbered them but they were also very quick as one managed to grab one of his men before biting into his neck.

"What are these things?" Kyrak asked.

"Swamp Krats, they feed on the flesh of other living things, but I've never heard of them attacking randomly like this." replied Marwin as he took the arm of one.

The pain it felt after losing its arm though only intensified its anger as it began belching up weird gobs of fluid at them.

"Look out!" shouted Marwin as everyone ducked.

"What's that?" Kyrak asked as the goo hit a tree behind them.

He got his answer not from him but from the tree as the gunk ate away at its base.

"Alright so that's how you want to play huh? Then let's dance." he said before raising his shield.

Oh he was gonna destroy that thing was all he could think about as everyone did the same. There was no time to waste as he charged straight for it with his shield up and though he felt a few shots fired the plating of his trusty shield held up for the most part. Instead of going in for the slash though he opted out for to daze it as he bashed the metal surface against its head to get its brain rattling.

"How's that for you?" he teased as he saw it stumble.

Quickly before it could target anyone else he drove his blade right down the middle; cutting it in two perfect pieces. A celebration was in order for a kill like that, but he knew well that the fight wasn't over yet as another of his men took a hit from the acid as he turned to a pile of mush. With everyone charging it though it stood no chance as they covered its body in multiple cuts before their commander dealt the last blow. With his sword raised high Marwin swung as hard as he could against the beasts neck; severing its head, and with it its life.

"Damn things." he said as he wiped his sword of its blood.

And after all that what did they have to show for it? Two dead men and an unconscious girl. Still things could have gone a lot worse if it had only been he and the commander. After Kyrak scooped up their mystery girl in his arms Marwin took the time to bury their dead; though they weren't among the living anymore it was more honorable than leaving as food for the predators.

"Hey boys got something for ya." Kyrak said as he placed the head of their fallen enemy on the table.

"Whoa what is that thing?" one asked.

"Someone who thought they could mess with us but no worries we took care of everything." Marwin explained as he walked back into the light.

Now all they needed were some answers but to do that they needed her awake.

"There we go just settle down right there." Kyrak said as he lowered her into his chair.

"Who do you suppose she is?" one of them asked.

"No clue but what about that outfit?" another pointed out as he pointed at the scale like substance covering her body.

"Don't know but maybe if I..."

"No touching." Kyrak demanded as he slapped the hand away.

Before they could even give her shake though their king came wandering over as his curiosity peaked.

"What's going on over here?" he asked.

"Eh we found this girl in the forest and have no idea who she is." replied Marwin.

"A mystery huh? Well if she wakes up tell her she's welcome to stay the night." he told them before walking off.

Of course they were just going to ignore the fact that he was probably drunk and get right into it. With both hand on her shoulders Kyrak began shaking her a bit while also calling out to her.

"Hello? Wake up if you can hear me."

To their surprise that did the trick as she squirmed in the chair. As her eyes opened though she let out a high-pitched scream that annoyed them more than anything before she kicked him backwards.

"Whoa hey captain you alright?"

"Peachy." he groaned as he jumped back up.

Was the kick really needed? At least he had his armor on. After that delightful little wakeup call her eyes began adjusting to the light as she saw everyone around her.

"Wh-Who are you? You're not gonna eat me are you?!" she asked nervously.

"No-no miss just relax. We found you unconscious in the forest so we brought you back here for safe keeping."

"In the forest? Wait the monsters." she told them as things started coming back.

"No worries there we stomped them good." Kyrak replied as he straightened his back.

"You killed them?"

"Sure did, they're nothing but food for the hawks now." he boasted as if he killed them both.

"Oh thank the gods."

"Not to pester but what's name?" asked Marwin.

"Relli." she answered with a slight smile.

"Alright then Relli, what were you doing out there? Do you know how dangerous it is out here at night?"

"I know but I needed food for my people but after a dry search I was heading back when those things jumped me. It came from out of nowhere too like they were waiting for me." she said as she began shivering.

"Well worry no more for as long as we're around I can assure you nothing else will come for you." Marwin stated.

"Thank you all but I don't want to cause trouble for the lot of you." she said as she got up.

"It's okay we insist."

"Yeah and who knows what could be lurking out there. It's probably best if you stay here for the night then tomorrow morning we'll escort you home." proposed Marwin.

"Are you sure?" she asked innocently.

"Yeah oh and don't worry about the others if they try anything I'll take care of them personally." assured Kyrak.

"Thank you."

Something wasn't right though as she bowed her head in respect; they could have sworn they saw what looked like two horns sticking out from the top of her head. Just who was this girl and why was she attacked?


	8. Chapter 7 What Lies Beneath the Cave

Chapter 7

What Lies Beyond the Cave

What was it like for her being away from home for the first time? Wet, cold, and noisy but at least she had him there to make it feel a bit more homey. As the sun rose above the rays cut through the trees and began shining in her eyes before she began waking up. It seemed nothing had come for them while they slept, but where was he? Last she checked he was sitting by her leg with his head against her thigh for comfort, but now he had up and disappeared.

"Ether? Where'd you go." she said in hope he was nearby.

When she looked down though she saw his bag still sitting there which meant he probably hadn't left after all. Good news for her as she got up to stretch, and thanks to the sleep her magic was fully restored as she looked out over the land for him. It wasn't until her head turned to the right that she saw a small figure in a nearby lake.

"Heh seems like someone's getting all freshened up." she told herself.

But wait he was all alone with no one around; just like when he would peak on her in when she was taking her bath. This was perfect she thought as a sinister grin spread across her face. After all those time she could finally surprise him and so once she shrunk down she quietly made her way over to the lake before hiding herself behind the nearest bush. And in three, two, one.

"Hah gotcha!" she exclaimed excitedly as she jumped out from behind the bush.

What she saw next though was something she couldn't even explain. Not only was he washing up but he was also buttnaked; no towel or anything.

"Oh! Hi darling!" he says as he turned towards her to wave.

She couldn't help but look down as her curiosity rose before letting out a loud scream.

"What are you doing?!" she yelled as she grew back to full size.

"I was taking a bath duh." he said as he splashed some water over his face.

"Without a towel?!" she asked as her face lit up while her embarrassment gre.

"Now missy why would I wear a towel when I'm taking a bath? Oh wait were you expecting that?" he teased before climbing out.

"Ugh could you please put some clothes on?" she begged as she turned around.

"Oh what fun would that be though?" he said as he used his claw shot to zip on up to her shoulder.

And that almost did her in as he sat there without any shred of shame or dignity.

" But I feel so free like this." he teased before he dove right back in the water.

Ah what fun he had but eventually the fun had to come to an end as he dressed himself. At least she didn't seem that mad as they walked back to camp.

"Hey you know I was only joking back there right?" he asked as he grabbed his bag.

"Yeah whatever can we just go now?"

Before they could leave though he began feeling a bit weird down between the legs.

"Sure but in a minute." he told her as he began running towards the cave to their right.

"Where you going?"

"I need to you know."

"Oh boy." she sighed.

Of course his bladder was full after drinking all the water from his container, and yet he felt remarkably fresh as he let it all loose. While doing his business he noticed the cave gigantic and had many tunnels leading further in. Where to? Like heck he knew and he didn't want to find out, but as he zipped up a loud rumbling could be heard from down every tunnel around him before a low growl echoed from them.

"Now what's happening?" he asked himself as he hid behind a spire sticking up from the floor.

Whatever it was it sounded huge and mad. As the growls grew closer he looked out from around the corner only to see a snout sticking out as it began sniffing around.

"Where are you?" he heard before seeing it stick its head out followed by its long slender neck.

"A dr-dragon?" he thought as his body began quaking.

"Come now there's nothing to fear little one just step into the light." it hissed before turning the corner.

Never in his life had he seen a beast so big; it was at least twenty feet tall or maybe even bigger than that, but he wasn't going to sticking to find out.

"Careful don't make a...sound..." he told himself before the spire collapsed.

Even though he couldn't see it he could feel its eyes on him as its heavy footsteps drew closer. Was it safe to say he could kiss his butt goodbye?

"There you are murderer hidden in the darkness." it growled as its hot breathe hit him.

"I-I-I didn't d-do anything I swear." he said as he slowly turned to face it while his nerves shook.

"Oh is that right? Then why are you here then?" it hissed as it circled him.

"I was you know, taking a leak?" he replied as he backed up.

"Hah hah hah not bad for a liar, but I'm afraid our little talk has come to an end." it said as it reared its head back.

The ground shook but only slightly as Sarion and his men followed the dirt path that would lead to their next destination, but before they could head to the next town they had to first escort the Rilla home like they promised; where that was they had no clue but according to her it wasn't too far away. While everyone else relaxed in their waggons and carriages for the time being Marwin wanted to get some more answers from their mystery girl.

"So what's your family like?" Marwin asked her as he looked over his map.

"Hm, well there's father and his brothers then the others."

"The others, like random people?"

"Not really random; friends is a better word for it."

"Ah well don't you worry we'll get you home safe and sound. Oh speaking of which can you point out exactly where you live on this map?" he asked of her.

"Oh that's easy right here." said as she pointed to a dark spot on the map.

"But that's a cave." he said in his confusion.

"Mhm it's right through there." she said with a smile.

"Alright." he said though still pretty confused from the fact that there was no village there.

Actually its location was pretty convenient; not only was it on the path to San Venganza but also just up ahead. As they rode along though he couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right. The night before he managed to find another of those crystals of corruption inside both of those things that attacked her, but having been severed both had lost their tint as he held them in his hands.

"What's that?" she asked curiously.

"Something evil and foul that shouldn't exist." he said as he put them back in his bag.

"Oh but what do they do?"

"We're not entirely sure but we're on our way to find out."

"Huh, oh we're here!" she exclaimed as everyone came to a stop.

That was a cave alright; big, dank, and only slightly dark, but as they turned to enter they heard a loud roar. Well that was signal they thought as everyone jumped off their wagons before drawing their weapons. Most were on their toes as they saw something running out of the darkness.

"Is it a person?" Kyrak asked.

"I can't...wait yeah. Hold on..."

Oh it was a person alright and one they both recognized as he ran out of the cave with his tail between his legs.

"Ether?!" Marwin scowled.

"Talk later run now!" he exclaimed as he continued running.

"What's his deal?" ask Kyrak.

Oh they were getting their answer alright as something bigger came from the cave. It's bronze scales shined in the sun while the spikes around its head increased its ferocity level along with its large claws that dug into the ground.

"A dragon? But I thought those were only a myth." Kyrak said as they backed up.

As it surveyed the area for its prey though its green eyes zeroed in on them as it let out a loud threatening roar.

"More?! You clever boy you brought back up!" it hissed.

"No-no you're clearly misunderstanding we're merely passing through." replied Marwin.

"Liar!" it scowled before releasing its pent of flames.

As its fire flew towards the waggons and carriages everyone moved to the side quickly before they could get burnt.

"What have we done to upset you friend?" Sarion asked as he approached the beast.

"You came into my sanctum and killed my people and for that you will pay!" it scowled before raising its tail to them.

Quickly Sarion grew back to his normal size before jumping on the beast. Try as he might though it was too strong as it threw him clean off.

"Gah stay off me peasant!" he growled before charging up for another wave of fire.

But as it did the ground began shifting as its feet sank into the dirt before it solidified before a large stone hand came up to grab its snout.

"Good work commander." Kyrak said as he patted him on the back.

"Uh that wasn't me."

Their answer came though as their princess came running out of the cave before kicking their feisty friend in the stomach; sending him against a tree.

"Princess?!" exclaimed Kyrak.

That certainly pissed it off as it blew another breath of fire at her, but using her skills in earth magic she raised a wall before giving it a good kick; sending sharp sharks of stone at it. It wasn't having any of that though as it melted them with its inner flames.

"Rilla, are you alright?" Marwin asked as he helped her up from the ground.

"Yeah I think so. How long was I out?" she asked as she looked up.

"I don't know but we need to get out of here." he said before helping her up.

From what he could see she had hit the tree when the fire blew them back but at least she was okay. Once up she looked over at the scene as Elaina tried fighting off the beast as it raked its claws over her arm; cutting the skin.

"Rilla? Come on we've got to go." he said as he tugged her arm.

Instead of listening and following him though she tore away as she ran towards the battle.

"Father!" she cried out to get its attention.

It seemed to the trick as it turned towards her; its eyes examining her.

"Rilla?" he asked as he lowered his head.

"Please don't hurt these people, they mean us no harm."

"But then why are you with them?" he asked as he snarled at them.

"It happened last night, I was out hunting when I came under attack by some scary monsters but they saved me before I could become their meal."

Taking this opportunity to settle thing Marwin stepped forward.

"It's true your scaliness our post was a ways back but when we heard her screams we rushed over to help and there we found these things. They're long gone though." he told him.

"Hm, but what about you boy?" he asked Ether.

"I told you I was taking a piss!" he exclaimed in frustration.

But their conversation continued a dark cloud gathered overhead as shadows began surrounding them. From all around dark creatures glared as their hunger grew.

"They're back." Rilla cowered as she backed up against her father's leg.

"Quickly everyone inside now." he said as he used his fire breath to fend off the ones attacking.

More just kept on coming though as everyone ran inside the cave for safety before their new acquaintance used his powerful tail crush the roof above their heads; the falling stone sealing them in and away from those thing.

"What were those things?" asked Ether.

"No clue but we'll safe more now." replied Marwin.

"Come with me we'll seek shelter further down." the dragon said as he led the way.

As they followed Ether used what medical supplies he had to patch up Elaina's arm while their commander conversed with the ex foe.

"So what's your name if you don't mine me asking."

"It's Wyven, I'm the cheif of my people and have been for many centuries, but recently there's been an array of attacks going on when one of us steps outside."

"And that's why you attacked us."

"Yeah, it was my mistake thought for thinking you would be here to cause harm.

"Eh it's alright but you know if you still want to eat the young one back there that's alright." Kyrak said as he pointed his thumb at the young elf.

"What did you say?!" he exclaimed as he smacked his head with his pan.

"Are you disrespecting me?" he groaned.

"Hah like two brothers who can't stop squabbling." Wyven chuckled.

"Speaking of which, Ether what were you doing out here? It's too dangerous to be out here all alone." asked Marwin.

"Just hoping to catch the culprit just like you guys."

"And you decided to follow us am I right?"

"Mhm." he answered proudly.

"Oi, alright once we settle down we're going to have a little talk got it?" he told him as he grew more frustrated by the minute.

"Yes sir..." he sighed as he swung back to Elaina's shoulder.

Great now he had to deal with the head honcho himself which only made him more nervous as they took a left down one of the many tunnels.

"How's your arm holding up?" he asked as he kicked his feet.

"Fine, but about this morning."

"It's alright I know you were only doing it to get back at me so I spun it around on you. Guess I went a bit far huh?" he asked as he rubbed the back of his head.

"A bit?" she replied as she raised a brow.

"Alright I went way too far, happy?"

"Mhm." she said with a smile.

But still that had been the first time she had seen a man naked like that let alone him but as time passed she learned to get over it. After ten minutes of walking everyone came to a stop when they hit a dead end as both Elaina and Sarionstayed behind everyone so they wouldn't squish anyone.

"Rilla would you mind getting the door?" Wyven asked of her.

"Sure thing." she answered as she hopped off his back.

All of them watched as she walked over to the wall with her eyes focused on the buckles in the wall. Gently she began running her hand along them until she found what she needed before giving it a good push. The walls shook as the one in front of them began rising up through the ceiling; revealing something none of them had seen before. An underground crystal town and a huge one at that to accommodate for the their large sizes.

"Welcome to our home everyone." she said with a smile before running down the ramp and back into her home.

"Holy crap what a sceptical." Sarion said as they entered.

"Is that all crystal?" asked Marwin.

"Sure is we gathered it all up from around the world and used it to build ourselves a home here to keep safe from any hunters."

"It's beautiful." Elaina said softly as she looked at all the surrounding crystal.

"Eh it's pretty nice." said Ether as he gripped her suit as they made their way down the ramp.

It truly was a sight to behold. Each structure though rough still looked really nice especially with the hole above that let the sunlight shine through. Never in his life had Sarion seen so much crystal in one place and yet there it was as they crossed the stone bridge.

"We've lived here for years but it only recently that we found things aren't what they once were. The local wildlife havebecome much more aggressive and strange beings were seen wandering around much like those we just encountered."

"Yeah we know." said Kyrak.

Before they could enter the city though another of his kind cut them off as his eyes narrowed on them.

"What are they doing here?" he asked.

"Relax brother they're merely passing through."

"Hmph and how do you know you can trust them?" he asked he dipped his head down to look at them all.

"Because they saved me." Rilla said as she jumped back on top of her father's back.

It was pretty clear they had some trust issues with others but in the end he turned to walk away.

"Just be sure to keep an eye on them." he told Wyven.

"What climbed up his butt?" asked Ether.

"He's always been a bit strict when it comes to letting outsiders into our city is all." answered Wyven

"Yeah he's a bit of a jerk sometimes too." Rilla followed up.

"Now you shouldn't say that about your uncle even if he needs to pull that stick out of his ass." he replied as he chuckled.

"I heard that." he growled.

"Love you too."

"Right so do you have any place we could stay little while?" Marwin asked.

"You're all welcome to stay in my den until you've done your business. It's over there." he told them as he gestured to the huge dome like den sitting at their far right.

Big couldn't even describe its size. It was almost big enough for Elaina and her father as everyone took a seat on the floor.

"Why do I get the feeling he still doesn't trust us?" pondered Kyrak.

"Oh father's quite hard to persuade sometimes but don't worry I'm sure there's more trust than doubt with him." repliedRilla as she stretched her arms.

"I hope, I don't want to end up as lunch for these things." he replied.

As for the others they were all wondering what they were going to do for food and shelter once they left. Thanks to him all their supplies had been burned to ash along with their modes of transportation. For the time being though they felt pretty safe from those things outside.

"Gah now we're stuck here." Ether grumbled as he walked back and forth.

"Relax we'll be out of here before you know it." Marwin assured him as finished loading up his crossbow.

"Yeah and it's pretty nice in here." Elaina sighed as she relaxed against the wall.

"Easy for you to say; you guys know how I get when stuff like this happens."

"Calm down we'll be in and out before you know it." replied Marwin.

"Why don't you just sit back and relax for once?" asked Kyrak.

When it came to being closed off in one area he didn't like it one bit; it made him feel trapped as he looked around for something to do. His attention was taken away from it however when their commander grabbed his wrist before walking over to Elaina.

"Now then care to explain why you're both here?" he asked.

"Can't this wait?" he asked as he sat on her leg.

"Now Ether."

"Ugh alright I copied down your map while you were talking with your troops before I gathered supplies to wait for your departure. After that I forced myself through the guards and ran into the forest. Hopping tree to tree I made my way to a clearing and made camp there when I found Elaina here who had snuck out to find me. Fast forward to this morning she saw me naked and I took a piss before being chased by Wyven here and here we are. Happy?"

"Eh...yeah but still you shouldn't have done that. Do you have any idea how Rosa must feel? And you princess I expected better from you."

"Yes sir." they both replied.

"During our next stop we're shipping your butts home got it?" he told them.

"Yeah but come on I'm practically a knight already so can't I just tag along for now?"

"No, you're still a trainee and though you've shown impressive amounts of skill what we're headed into is much more."

"But-"

"It could end in a war between the four kingdoms and I don't want either of you to end up in that sort of mess."

"So? Even if we would we'd blast them to pieces anyway her and I."

"War isn't something to take lightly. What if you two ended up getting hurt or worse dead? How would I explain that to Rosa and the others?"

Neither of them said anything as he turned to leave.

"Just stand down kids. Trust me this isn't something you don't want to get involved in." her father said.

"Remember those words the next time you go and do something dumb." Marwin followed up as he left to think.

As he left so did Ether as he headed down to the running river under the bridge to gather his thoughts.

"Ether." Elaina thought softly as she stood up.

"Elaina I think we both know he needs some time to himself." her father told her as he relaxed.

Why wouldn't he? All he wanted to do was help out and redeem himself of his earlier loss; to delivery justice to those who needed it. That's what he wanted the most out everything and it wasn't like they could hide all violence from him; after all once he became a knight he would probably spend most missions fighting off thugs or monsters just like Marwinand the others.

"Oi what am I gonna do with that boy?" he asked himself as he opened up his map.

At least he had the running water to help calm his nerves as he tried finding a new path to their next destination. While looking though Rilla came down in his face as she hung upside down from a nearby post.

"Heyo whatcha doing?" she asked curiously.

"Just finding a new route to take." he answered as he erased a faulty path.

"Ooooo, so what's with you and that elf kid? Are you like father and son or something?"

"...No."

"Oh, when what is he?"

"Just a knucklehead trainee who doesn't know when to quit."

"But isn't it good not to quit?"

"Not all the time."

"But if you quit then you'll never know your true strength right? I'm right aren't I?" she asked excitedly.

"Yeah but we all have our limits and sometimes when we reach them it's best to just fall back."

"So quit right?"

"...Yeah just quit." he sighed.

In battle there were times when he found himself at his absolute limit but instead of staying and fighting he would retreat to fight another day, but what would have happened if he pushed himself even further beyond? Would it have changed the outcome? Something in his head was saying so and maybe Ether knew it too.


	9. Chapter 8 Plague

Chapter 8

Plague

They were still out there; those things and yet they hadn't even tried to break and enter. For almost every hour Kyrakand his team would take a peak so see what they were up to, but all they saw were a few wandering around; looking more confused than anything. So as long as they were out there though they couldn't leave; for all they knew it was a set up for an ambush. And so it came that their travel plans were delayed yet again as everyone settled in for the night. One would think spending time with dragons would be dangerous but actually most were quite knowledgeable especially the elder Tyron who knew a bit about magic himself.

"Any update on those crystals?" Sarion asked as he walked over to Wester their analyst.

"A bit, it seems the substance in these crystals have a tendency to affect the brain; change it in some ways."

"Anything else?"

"Not yet sir we're still working on it." he said as Tyron looked over his shoulder at the floating gem.

"If it's able to manipulate the mind then that may explain why those beasts attacked Rilla like that." Tyron followed up.

"You think they're under mind control?"

"Possibly but it's the best things we've got for now." he replied.

"Well it's something. Keep up the good work." he said before leaving them to their work.

While walking back to the den he noticed Marwin sitting on the stairs as he watched Ether do his own thing.

"Hey everything alright?" he asked as he sat beside him.

"Yeah everything's fine for now." he answered as his eyes focused on his student.

Having seen the way he turned Ether down though he knew he wasn't all there as he looked over at Ether who seemed caught up in his pursuit to master the magic of light.

"He's a talented kid you know." he mentioned.

"He's a numskull is what he is."

"Come now Marwin weren't you the one that got him interesting in his current path? I mean sure he's hardheaded and pretty nosey but he's also devoted to his future and to you all."

"I know but sometimes he's quite the handful."

"As are all children. I should know." he replied with a chuckle.

As he watched though something became clear. Not only was he an idiot so was he when he was a kid. The way he use to pester the guards into letting him train and how he use to sneak into the arena to train by himself; it all reminded him of himself when he was his age.

"Remember that time you journeyed to the elven kingdom and I hid into one of the waggons?"

"Oh yes you were so determined to show me what you were capable. Didn't you end up almost drowning?"

"Yeah and with the luck I was having I half expected to die."

"But you didn't."

"Because the elves rescued me before I could head over the waterfall."

"Hah I remember you were crying a bit when they pulled you out."

"True, but I also gained new-found respect for them."

"And from them you learned their ways and in return they gave you their respect. Heck I remember that they even taught you a few moves before leaving."

"Yeah they were nice people."

"Indeed, but my question now is are you ready to let him choose his own path?" he left him with as he got up to help with dinner.

True he didn't want one of his trainees to get hurt but sometimes it was best to let them go their own way so that they could learn.

"Heh we'll see." he said as he got up to stretch.

Meanwhile sitting in their den Kyrak continued to rest as Wyven came strolling in.

"What's going on?" he asked casually.

"Preparing the food, and you?"

"Just laying back for now."

"I see." he said as he joined him.

There was still a question on his mind as he looked at Rilla running around outside.

"So your her father, does that mean you...you know?"

"Hahah oh no boy that's physically impossible."

"Huh, then how did you become her father?"

He seemed kind of hesitant at first but after a few seconds to think about it he decided to spill the beans.

"It was nearly twenty years ago. I was out finding food to bring back to the others when I heard the crying of a baby in the middle of the forest. I followed it until I found its source; a traveling merchant's waggon that a bunch of thieves picked dry. The merchant himself was dead but there was still someone alive, her. I guessed maybe the mother put her on there so that someone would notice her and it seemed the thieves had no interest so scooped her up and brought her here."

"But what about the horns?"

"Easy, I had Tyron whip up a potion for her that would change her DNA from pure human to a dragon, but it failed and only made her half dragon." he chuckled.

"Well if you ask me I like the way she looks."

But once he saw their host bearing his teeth he instantly closed his mouth.

"Good boy." he said as they watched her run around.

Meanwhile out by the River their young trainee was deep in thought as he tried manifesting the magic shown to him before. It wasn't easy though; each time he felt it the glow would always disappear before he could do anything. At this point he was more than frustrated as he tried concentrating. It wasn't until he felt himself falling forward into the water that he woke up.

"Holy crap that's cold." he said as his voice trembled.

As he looked up he saw Rilla looking down at him with a smile spread across her face.

"Oops sorry, thought you would have reacted a bit quicker."

"And you are?" he asked as he squeezed his vest out.

"Oh that's right I never introduced myself. It's Rilla." she said as she stuck out her hand.

"Uh Ether." he replied as he took it.

"Oh you mean like a potion?"

"Uh yeah let's go with that." he said as he made his way back up to the top.

"Hehehe so why are you here?"

"Why are you asking?"

"A little birdy told me so."

"Did this birdy have light blonde hair that's combed back that makes him look like a jerk?"

"Yes!"

"Mhm."

Though he was still a bit troubled about it all he'd gotten over it for the most part as he dusted off his pants.

"Why'd you come?" she asked.

"For redemption." he answered.

"What for?"

"Aren't you suppose to be doing something somewhere?" he asked her as his annoyance level rose.

"Hm? Oh right dinner." she said before running off; waving goodbye as she left to help finish it up.

In any other situation he probably wouldn't have minded her but being stuck in a cave with only torches to give him light he wasn't exactly in the brightest of moods. At least he was alone again or so he thought. Before he could sit back down he felt himself being lifted up by the back of his vest as Elaina held him in her hand.

"What? Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

"Just be a bit nicer okay?" she asked of them as they made their way to the fire pit where everyone sat.

"I know I just want to get out of here so badly." he told her as he sat in her hand.

"And so do I but while we're here we mind as well make the best of it right?" she said with a smile to try and cheer him up.

"Yeah, at least I have you and the guys here." he replied before jumping to her shoulder.

"Yep although you may want to sleep with the others tonight if I start tossing and turning."

"Oh I don't know I could get stuck in some interesting places huh? Then again you do snore like a beast..."

She hadn't a response to that except for a little flick to the forehead.

"Owe, hey I'm just telling it like it is." he said before flicking her neck.

"And your any better?" she said before replicating his loud ass snore.

"I've never snored like that."

"Have too."

"Have not."

"Have too."

"Have not times a thousand." he said as they sat down.

With a to her breast then to her knee he found himself safely on the ground as Marwin and the others loaded some weird kind of red crystal into the pit.

"What's all that?" he asked as he took one.

"Fire crystals, making a fire is a synch with these things." Kyrak told him.

"But be careful, if the temperature gets too extreme boom! We'll be blown sky-high."

Well that was nice to know especially with multiple fire-breathing monsters around, but it seemed they knew how to handle them as Wyven blew only a small spark at it. It took a few seconds but after a few clicks from the stones the thing lit up as Sarion brought over a huge tray of meat. What it was who knew but they were starving.

"Tender, juicy, dissolves in your mouth, is this lamb?" Ether asked as Elaina and her father took a big chunk for themselves.

"Indeed, we've stocked up on the things lately so we thought to go ahead and cook them."

"Huh." was all he said as he ate away at the big piece of meat until only a single bone was left.

As he reached for another one though he felt drops of meat juice falling on his head as he looked up to see her eating away at the meal.

"Hey hey watch it." he said before jumping to the side as big drops of juice started falling.

"Ah poor widdle Ether got a bit of meat juice on him." Kyrak teased as his whole team followed his example.

Not only was it embarrassing but now he got his fellow knights to laugh at him. Well he wasn't going to take that sitting down as he grabbed his cup. With one scoop he filled it up before walking over to him; dumping every bit on his head.

"Real mature." he mumbled as he tried getting it out of his precious red hair.

"Awe wiggle Kyrak angwy?" he teased back.

"Oh now it's on." he said angrily as he picked of his own bone.

"Bring it punk." he said before clashing bones with them.

To the rest seeing them fight wasn't all that surprising but to Wyven and his brothers it only made them more curious.

"Are they alright?" he asked.

"Oh yeah this happens all the time with them." replied Marwin as he finished up his meal.

The only reaction Elaina had though was to roll her eyes as she finished eating before throwing the bones to the side. Their fight was interrupted however when they heard a loud high-pitched yell coming their way as Rilla tried attacking with of them with her bones.

"Whoa hey easy." Kyrak told her as she came towards them swinging her own weapon.

"She's not listening!" Ether told him before both took off as she followed.

"Kids will be kids." said Sarion.

"Indeed but one day they'll grow up and experience everything this world has to offer." replied Marwin.

"Yeah." was all Wyven could say as he watched his daughter playing around.

For twenty long years he'd sheltered her, protected her, and fed her but eventually she would leave the nest to start her own life and maybe even her own family. Was he ready for that though? There were dangerous people out there and who knew what she would run into, but even so she was his child and as a parent he needed to have faith that she'd make the right choices.

"So what's the plan for getting out of here? Want to risk getting ambushed?" asked Sarion.

"To be honest I'm not sure and since they've surrounded us that only makes things trickier. There were so many, way more than enough to overpower us." Marwin replied.

"Well there's always the other exit." Tyron answered.

"You mean like a back door?" he asked.

"Not quite it's more of a way under and out."

Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal but as they finished the cavern began trembling. It sounded like someone was using bombs to blast their way though. As everyone stopped what they were doing A loud growl was heard on the other side of the hidden wall.

"What's that?" asked Ether.

"Another of us perhaps?" replied Tyron as everyone ran to grab their gear.

Suddenly the walls burst open as a large gust of wind followed. As they stood at the ready two pairs of red eyes began looking through with its large fangs bared before jumping right in. It's black skin make everyone tremble as it let off a very unsettling aura as it shook the ground with its loud roar.

"Ready, steady, charge!" Marwin cried out as everyone went at it with all they had. .

Some used magic to make it stumble while their allies tried digging their swords and axes into it, but that proved useless. Its skin was like iron as their blades bounced off, but they kept on going at it as the beast claws at them. It must had been about the thirty feet tall, the same as Elaina as she used her magic to pin it to the ground while Wyven and the others tried burning it to a crisp. But as it broke out its tail swung around; hitting all three of the brothers before it shook her loose.

"Damn we're not doing shit to it." Kyrak said as he stood atop one of the crystal dens.

Then it hit him; he had a distinct advantage over it. With all his courage he grabbed a large rock and took aim as its head before chucking it as far and hard as he could. A loud clank was heard as it hit the center between its eyes; its attention now drawn to him.

"Please gods watch over me." he prayed as it charged right for him.

As long as his men were safe that was all that mattered as he watched it pounce. Just before it could reach him though he used the wind around him to shoot up into the air before falling down on its back. Though a bit dazed he kept at it as he crawled all the way to its head before taking his sword in his hand.

"Go to hell and take your friends with you." he grunted before jabbing it in the very center of its first eye.

As it howled he took the opportunity to take out another, but that's as far as he got before the creäture threw him off. While he took out two eyes it still had two left as it pulled back its head when suddenly and without warning it released a large burst of fire that burned two of his men while the others rolled out-of-the-way.

"Shit, how do you kill something that's armored like that?"

As he looked around he noticed Ether standing there with his eyes wide open like he was in a trance; just by looking at him though he could see his body shaking.

"Ether, come on man pull yourself together." he said as he shook him.

"It's...it's..." was all he could say as he stared at the massive creäture.

His fear vanished though when he heard Elaina's yell of pain as the beast burned her arm. Thinking quickly she stomped the ground as a large crystal hammer formed as she grabbed it. She swung and jabbed but it just coming as it tried roasting her. With all her might she raised a great wall that blocked her and rest off from the fire but that did little good once it settled when it broke through; pinning her to the wall.

"You stay away from my daughter!" her father hissed as he grabbed it by the tail.

It was heavy even for him, but with all his strength he managed to pull it up before swing it into a wall. Before it could get up drove his elbow right into it as it let out a painful roar. Being pinned it saw an opportunity and took it as it opened its mouth to torch his face. Before it could though a large chunk of crystal hit it.

"Hey you wanna mess with someone you mess with me!' Ether exclaimed to get its attention.

And it worked to his surprise as it pushed Sarion off. As it charged towards him though all three brothers began torching it; creating a diversion.

"Rilla now!" Wyven exclaimed.

"Right." she replied as she ran over to their den.

They had hoped to never leave, but it seemed that day had come as she pulled down on one of the spires sticking out near the entrance. With that the pulley system under them began working as the floor dropped to show a large tunnel slick with water.

'Everyone get in now!" she yelled.

They weren't stupid enough to stick around as Elaina and her father shrunk down to take the lead followed by Marwinand his men along with Rilla.

"Wait if that thing can spit fir...bingo." Ether said as he climbed back up to the top floor.

"Ether come on we're getting out of here." Kyrak said as he ready to leave.

"Go on ahead I'll meet you all down there." he said as he rushed to the supply den.

"No you're coming now!" he exclaimed as his patience grew thin.

"I said to go. I'll be there shortly." he promised as he tore a large piece of cloth off from the entrance.

He hadn't the time to waste as he did as he said and left without him. Once he had all he needed gathered up he tied the sheet shut before running over to Wyven.

"Hey mind giving me a hand?" he asked of them as he raised the bag.

It confused them at first but when they saw the red gleam they knew exactly what he had planned. With both Tyronand Magnus holding its arms down their chief hoped on its back before grabbing its jaws. While struggled he was still able to overpower it as he forced its maw wide open.

'Tsk, I can do this." he said as he took a deep breath.

It may had been big but that didn't mean he couldn't protect his friends. And so with all his might he swung the bag around and around before releasing it just in time. Once it flew into its maw Wyven and his brothers let go as the creäture let out one last roar.

"Oh well that was a ride." said Kyrak as he was spat out.

It seemed to take them pretty far away from the cave as he noticed as he dusted his pants off.

"Is everyone present and accounted for?" Marwin asked as his men called off.

It seemed everyone had made it out, or at least most of them.

"Wait where's Ether?" Elaina asked worryingly as she looked around.

"And father." Rilla followed up.

"I thought maybe he had gone with you." Marwin stated as he scanned through the crowd.

"He told me to tell you he'd be right out." he told them.

Things only got grimmer though as the cave behind them exploded in a large ball of fire while pieces of crystal and stone rained down on them.

"Oh no..." she whimpered as her eyes watered up.

"Father!" Rilla cried as she began running back towards the tunnel.

"No it's too dangerous." grunted Marwin as he pulled her back.

Just then they heard a loud rumbling. Another explosion? No it wasn't loud enough but it was getting closer as the tunnel grew darker. As everyone backed up three large figures crawled out before hitting the ground hard. As the dust settled the three beings began looking rather familiar.

"Father!" Rilla cheered as she ran to hug his snout.

"Heh you weren't counting out your old man yet were you?" he asked as he took a deep breath.

"Nope." she said with a smile.

"A right big one that was but it seems we're all safe and sound for now." Tyron said as he and Magnus stood up.

But there was still someone missing.

"And Ether?" asked Sarion.

They didn't need words; instead Wyven lowered his claws to let the soot covered boy down.

"Insane that he is but in the end he did manage kill that thing before it got anyone else."

"Oh it wasn't a big deal." he boasted.

"Bullshit you were cowering like a child." Kyrak said.

"Would you just shut up for one second?"

"Though I must admit I didn't think someone like you would pull it off." he said with a smirk across his face.

"Oh...well thanks I guess."

Before he could say anything else Elaina approached him with her head tipped down slightly so he couldn't see her eyes before she erupted in rage.

"You idiot!" she exclaimed before giving him a nice uppercut.

As he fell though she grabbed him by his singed collar before shaking him back and forth.

"What were you thinking doing something stupid?! Idiot you're just a big idiot!" she cried out as she continued.

"Please stop your making me nauseous."

But that only made her speed up even more.

"Okay okay I was an idiot for doing that but I couldn't just leave it there. Heck if it wasn't for their help it may had escaped and gotten you all." he tried to say.

"Alright that's enough that point is we're all here and well." Sarion said as he separated the two.

Once he was free Marwin approached him with a simple question.

"So how did you do it?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Oh yeah I've got it here somewhere." he replied as he dug into his right pocket.

Was it a bomb of some sort? Close, instead it was a single fire crystal that he had taken earlier.

"I figured since it could spit fire that its stomach was extremely hot on the inside."

"Heh not bad." he said; rather impressed by his quick thinking.

They weren't out of the woods yet as the shadows began gathering again as their old foes appeared to do what they couldn't before.

"Uh so now what?" Ether asked.

Thinking on their feet the three brothers lowered themselves and their wings down to the ground.

"Quickly everyone." said Magnus.

Using their thick wings as ramps everyone got on fending off the oncoming army of shadows approached. With their inner flames Wyven fended off as many as he could before all three took off; leaving their old home behind as they took off into the night sky.

"Whew that was close one." Sarion sighed as Ether and his daughter held on for dear life behind him.

Far away in a land forgotten by time though their enemy watched as his plague spread over the world. All was going according to plan as he sat back back in his throne; watching as his prey flew away.

"My lord the enemy has slipped through our fingers yet again." Milonis said as he took a knee.

"Rise, it matters not for soon the shackles of this festering world will soon be released and with it all its people." he told him as he rose from his seat.

As he walked over to his fountain his partner followed as they watched the world descend into chaos. From every corner of the world his curse spread and soon the world would be free from fear and death. As they watched their prey closely though Milonis's found himself intrigued by the elf child.

"You seem interested in him." Kronos stated.

"No...it's nothing." he said as he shook his head.

As he walked back to his throne he left his partner with this in mind.

"My world is taking shape and soon paradise will arrive for us all."


	10. Chapter 9 Town of the Dead

Chapter 9

Town of the Dead

How could one describe what they had gone through in the past two days? Chaotic came to mind, but then again that was par for the coarse with them. At least they got out of there alive while at the same time their healer tended to the wounded as they flew through the sky starting with Elaina and her father. There wasn't much to heal in terms of them; the ones that really needed treatment were two men that got burned pretty badly in the conflict. They were lucky though; if Marwin wouldn't have grabbed them before leaving they both would have been nothing more than a pile of ash.

"How are they doing back there?" Marwin asked.

"Hard to say, their bodies are pretty badly burned, but maybe a night's rest under one of my healing barriers will do the trick he proposed."

"Whatever it takes to get them moving."

"Speaking of moving how much longer is it until we reach this town you were talking about?" asked Kyrak.

While losing all their stuff was a big step backwards flying was just a much faster way to travel; in fact it looked as if it would cut down their initial travel time by quite a bit.

"Judging by my map we should be getting close." he replied before rolling up his map.

"So an hour? Two hours?"

"I'm not sure but we've already passed two of the local villages that were on the way so we're getting there."

"Speaking of time it looks like someone's worn out." Sarion said as he grasped the horns of Wyven.

Of course he burnt himself out out after everything he'd done. Almost getting burned to a crisp, being forced to stay in a secluded space, and almost exploding anyone would be tired after all that. Of course it wasn't that pleasant for Elainawhen he drooling on the back of her outfit while snoring like a orc.

"Pst wake up." she said as she tried moving him off her back.

No response; all he did was lick his lips before falling back on her.

"Mmmm yes I would like a piece of that princess." he said in his sleep.

And that was the last straw as she pushed him on his back so he could finally lay down and stop drooling.

"Hey uh princess?" Kyrak called out.

"Yeah what is it?" she said, obviously cranky from lack of sleep.

"Watch out." he replied.

But it was too late for her sleeping friend's hands were already cupping both of her breasts; his fingers digging in as he felt them up.

"Ooooo more than a handful." he said with a chuckle.

There were no words for that only an elbow to the chest so that he would let her go, and even that didn't wake him up but instead caused him to fall on his back again.

"Sheesh, you've never been this heavy of a sleeper." she said to herself when suddenly a large gust of wind hit them.

Most were fine but as for their sleeping friend he found himself rolling off the side and off their mode of transport.

"Gods dang it." she cursed hersef before diving off the side.

"Wait sweetie!" her father called out.

But it was too late. How stupid was she to do something like that, and how was he still asleep through all this? She hadn't a clue as she cut through the air with him in her sight. As she approached him she also spotted the ground below as she reversed back. Quickly with one hand she reached out to grab him before using her other to form a stone platform under her as she held on tight to him. The platform didn't last for long though but it did help cushion her fall a bit as she landed feet first on the ground.

"Whew and he's safe...and still asleep." she said to herself as she looked down at him in her hand.

Fog began pouring in from all over as she looked around for a sign to tell her where they were, but it was so thick she could barely see anything in front of her.

"Where are we?"

All she could make out were a few lights in the distance, but that could have been the lights lining a road. As tempting as it was it wasn't right to leave until the others found them. As she stood there though a feeling of dread overcame her as she took a few steps forward. Yep something was definitely watching them as she got ready to sprint. Just before then she heard the voice of her father.

"There you are." he said as their rides touched down before returning to his regular size.

"It's okay day we're safe." she assured him before showing him their sleeping friend.

"Well that's good and all but you shouldn't have done that. You nearly gave your old man a heart attack." he said before hugging her.

"Dad we're built from tougher stuff plus he would just be a smear on the ground if I hadn't."

"Still don't worry me like that again okay?"

"Hey guys sorry to interrupt this whole moment and all but where are we?" asked Kyrak.

"I have no clue. There are some light over there if that's anything." she said before pointing towards them.

While they kept pondering the question their commander walked further in and it was pretty bad. Due to its thickness he could barely see what was in front of him, but after a couple of minutes he bumped into something hard. It took his eyes a minute to adjust but when he saw what it was a big smile spread over his face.

"Hey everyone we're here!" he called out to them.

As everyone surrounded him they saw it too in big bold letter "San Venganza" .

"Huh guess it was closer than I thought." Kyrak admitted.

"Right now it's nearly midnight so we should all head for the inn and get some rest. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir!" they sounded off before charging in.

While they went on ahead though both he and Sarion stayed behind to see off their new friends.

"So I take it we'll be parting ways here?" he asked.

"Yes we need to find a new place to settle down and think before we decide on what to do from there." answered Wyven.

"Think you'll be alright without us?" Tyron asked.

"Oh yeah you don't want to get mixed up with us anyways, but if you ever need some help just come to us in Amnearand we'll get you situated." replied Sarion.

"It's appreciated and good luck to you all." they said before kicking off the ground.

And just like that they were gone as they disappeared back into the sky.

"You know for fire-breathing monsters they were pretty hospitable." Sarion said.

"Surprisingly yeah." he replied as they entered the town.

With the others just up ahead the could finally take a breather and relax. As they caught up everyone stopped as the fog began receding. Not only that but all the lights in every home and shop started going out.

"Hm what's going on guys?" yawned Ether as he finally woke up.

"Oh the usual." she answered as she poked his chest.

"Oh really? That's nice." he said as she lowered him back down.

Though half away even he could something wasn't right as the moon's rays illuminated the streets. Everything was quiet as they began walking around in search of the inn. As they walked around the town square they began noticing a disturbing lack of life. Sure it was late at night but even so there were no lights on anywhere as a vile smell permeated the air.

"You smell that?" asked Kyrak.

"Yeah, smells of dead flesh and rotting meat." answered Ether.

"Hey guys what's that?" one of them asked as he pointed down the street to their right.

They looked like people who had gotten way too drunk at a tavern and were headed home, but there was something else different about them.

"So they all went for a drink?" asked Ether.

"No, take a closer look." Marwin answered as things went from weird to terrible.

"Hm? Wait a sec are those zombies?" he asked again.

"Looks that way." he replied as they ready for another fight.

Out of every creäture he'd seen in his life thus far nothing came close to making him throw up like they did. Their flesh had holes in it that exposed their muscles and bones while some of them had missing eyes or even missing heads all together, but one thing they had in common was their smell as foul mucus like substance dripped from their wounds.

"Hey if I throw up on your boots don't squish me?" he begged to Elaina.

"Same here." she said as her stomach churned.

Their undead friends weren't alone unfortunately as more and more poured in from every alley around as their ghostly groans and moans filled the air.

"Men form a circle and cover all lines of sight got it?" Marwin demanded.

Once bite that's all it would take to turn them, but fortunately they weren't known for their great intelligence more so lack there of. With easy targets like these this was merely a warm up for most of them as they charged their foe. While their blades sliced through their flesh both father and daughter took advantage of their size and instead kicked and stomped them into oblivion.

"Whoa hey ya got some on you." Ether said as he used the wind to blow them off her legs.

"Thanks for that." she said before kicking a few more to pieces.

With her size she was having no trouble, but there were a few that managed to sneak by and that's where he came in. While keeping an eye on her he also cut down any that was in his way. Blood flew everywhere as they massacred eradicated the horde with little to no trouble.

"Ugh I'm gonna need some new boots after this." she whined as the disgusting gunk covered them.

"Speak for yourself I'm gonna need a whole new outfit." he stated as he plunged his blade into one's skull.

Everyone else though was fine thanks to their armor, and not only that they acted like they were having fun as they mowed down corpse after corpse. Even Kyrak had some fun as he decapitated as many as he could while laughing his butt off at how easy it all was.

"Hahah come on more damn it!" he cried out.

"Uh sir there's none left." one pointed out.

He wasn't lying either; the alleyway wasn't spared from blood their enemy and the vile. The may had been terrible but at least they did what they were ment to do in the end. Meanwhile on the opposite side both Sarion and their commander kept at it until each one of them were dead again.

"This is the first time I've ever seen them attack in packs like this." Marwin mentioned as he squished one's head.

"Oh? Hard to say I've never encountered any myself." his kind replied as he stomped a group of them into paste.

"Well the more you know sir." he replied before finishing off the last few.

It mattered not if they stunk to high heavens because in the end they all did their duty and did it well as they all returned to the town square to meet. Almost all reeked in the gut wrenching blood and mucus but they knew things could have gone a lot worse as they settled down around the fountain.

"So who feels liking jumping in the ocean say I." Ether suggested as he tried holding his nose.

"Lets just find a cleaners." Marwin told him.

"Eh whatever works to get this gunk off."

Before they could even take a step towards cleaning off they heard the noise of doors opening as people started coming out of their homes and businesses; all of who looked really happy with what they did.

"Hello all you needn't fear the undead any longer for they have been slain." Marwin told them all.

Just by looking at their faces they could tell that they were very grateful for what they had done as their chief stepped forward; a rather portly man who wore a sleeveless top and shorts.

"Thank you all for coming when you did." he said before bowing to them as well.

"It's nothing, just all in a days work." Kyrak replied.

"Please allow us to shelter you for the night. You may rest at our inn if that suites you."

"That would be nice, thank you." Marwin said.

"Then please follow me." he said as the crowd dispersed.

Why not? They were all extremely tired and needed their beauty sleep before the next day, but as they walked through the streets something struck them as odd. Most looked kind of depressed and lifeless as they walked down the streets. It certainly seemed odd but maybe they were just as tired as they were.

"So where are you guys headed." he asked.

"Far away, we're kind of on an important quest you see and we need to stock up on some supplies before we leave uh..."

"Oh sorry I didn't tell you my name huh? It's Timly, but everyone just calls me Tim."

"Well Tim thanks for all of this, but I don't remember you being the chief last time I passed through."

"Oh well a few weeks ago the old chief fell ill and unfortunately his body just couldn't take it."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah but he's in a better place now; away from all this pain."

"I'm sure his spirit rests easy now." Sarion said as he stepped to the front.

"Oh your majesty I didn't see you there."

"Not use to seeing me this small huh?" he replied with a smirk.

"No sir but you still look good after what has it been? Over three hundred years?"

"Three hundred and thirty-seven actually."

"And you don't look a day over twenty-five." Tim replied with a chuckle.

"Well that's pretty common nowadays am I right?"

"True, very true."

With all their small talk they almost forgot about their destination until they came to a dead stop in front of a large five-story building.

"And here we are. Just throw that armor of yours to the side and we'll get them all washed up for you."

"Ah sounds good to me." replied Kyrak as he pulled off every little piece from his body with everyone else soon to follow.

"Good, have a good night everyone." he said before waving goodbye.

With all that off their body they could finally stretch their bones as a waggon pulled up to lead them all in. In the mean time Sarion approached the front desk with a small bag silver coins.

"Oh your majesty I didn't know you would be stopping by today." the girl said nervously when she saw him.

"Well we just need a place to stay for the night. I hope there's enough room for us all." he asked before setting the bag on her counter.

"Of course! Right this way." she said before stepping out.

Looking around it looked really nice and the atmosphere was just perfect as they walked down the hall. Numerous paintings covered the walls that depicted different events throughout history along with decor that made the place even brighter. They couldn't look around for too long though as she stopped them at the first door.

"I'm afraid there's not enough room for each person but you could pair up for each. You know two in one room? We could squeeze you in that way."

"Of course right men?" asked Marwin.

"Uh sure..." was all they could say to that.

This was gonna get awkward quickly.

"Good now these rooms work a bit differently from what you're probably used to."

"What do you mean?" asked Kyrak.

"See this dial? Well we had one of our locals enchant each room and it's all connected to this. Simply turn the dial to say Sea People and you'll have this." she said as she turned it before unlocking the door.

What they saw astounded them. From what they could see it was still a room but underwater before she changed it back to its normal setting.

"Pretty nifty." said Ether.

"Excuse me but you wouldn't happen to have a Giant setting would you?"

"Of course, there are settings for almost every race out there." she said with a smile.

"You're probably more tired than all of us sweeie so why don't you take this room." her father suggested.

"Really?"

"But remember two to a room." she reminded them.

"Then I'll go in with her." Ether told her.

"Why you? I say we should be the ones to do it." Kyrak demanded.

"Now now it's only for the night." Sarion said as he pulled him back.

"Fine..." he grumbled.

"Then in that case here's your key." she said before handing it to her.

"Thank you." she said as she returned the smile.

Finally she could sleep in a real bed she thought as she changed the setting before stepping in. Once they were in she couldn't help but stare at how everything was so much bigger than them. She felt more like an insect that a person as he closed the door behind them. Was this how he saw things every time he snuck into her room? Her train of thought shattered however when she heard him gagging.

"I'll be right back." he said before taking off towards the bathroom.

"Uh Ether?" she said, having realized he forgot how big everything was.

"...Could you help me?" he asked of her since he couldn't reach the doorknob.

"Heh you really forgot that quickly?" she asked as a little giggle escaped her mouth before she returned to full size.

He didn't even answer as she opened the door. Lucky for him though his hook shot still worked after all that they had been through. Once he was up on the counter by the sink he closed off the drain before turning the knob with both hands. It couldn't be too hot or cold but instead just right before he would strip and jump in.

"Oh yeah that's the stuff. Ooooo work daddy..." he sighed as he relaxed.

As he sank in he could feel all the dirt and grim falling off as the putrid smell began fading away. Oh how he missed a warm bath and bed even if it had only been a few days and his pleasure only screw as he sunk deeper in the water. As for her she was just happy to have a bed as she kicked her boots off before jumping on it. The softness helped relax her muscles as she let out a deep sigh of satisfaction.

"Mmmm so good." she sighed as she turned on her side.

It wasn't until she looked at the bathroom door that it hit her, they would both be sharing the same bed. It hadn't even hit her when she agreed to let him stay but she couldn't just kick him out. Then again even if he was a bit of a perv he never did anything disgusting or unforgivable. Sure a few grabs here and there but that was really it. Still it almost made her blush at the thought of them sleeping together.

"Oh...get it together girl you've both slept together before, it's no big deal. Yeah and tomorrow we'll be up and out of here." she told herself as the redness began fading around her cheeks.

But while looking at the crack in the door her curiosity began rising. Was he rubbing off on her or was she just as perverted as he she thought. Maybe her body was trying to tell her she was an adult and there was no shame in taking a little peek. All this time her heart picked up the pace as she took a deep breath.

"One little peek won't hurt right? Yeah after all he's done it multiple times." she said to herself as she got up from her bed.

Plus she'd seen him naked before a few days ago and even though she turned away from embarrassment she'd barely gotten a glimpse of him. As she tiptoed closer to the crack she took a deep breath to quiet her heart before leaning in. All she could hear was him humming as he stood up to grab the small cloth from his bag. It wasn't until he turned to dry his back off that his raw form revealed itself.

"Oh..." was all that came out of her mouth as the steam cleared.

It was wrong, she knew it was wrong, but she continued with it anyways as she looked over his small form. Those abs looked so well toned and though she couldn't tell when he wore his shirt and vest his arms were pretty tight as well. Clearly he took really good care of his body and those training lessons only strengthened his appearance all the more.

"No this is wrong I shouldn't do this! But...no I mustn't." she thought loudly as she leaned on the door.

Big mistake for as soon as she pushed in on it the door swung open as she fell to the floor with a loud thud.

"Are you alright?" she heard him ask as she looked up.

"Yeah I think so." she groaned before pushing herself up.

Lucky her he wasn't completely naked since he brought along a spare shirt and a fresh pair of underwear just in case.

"Say were you peeking in on me?" he asked.

"Tsk no, why would I do that?" she asked as she turned her head in disgust.

"I don't know maybe I'm just rubbing off on you or something. But hey if you want another peek I've got no problem with that whoa hey." he told her as she tried pinning him to the ground with the bottom of her foot.

"It was nothing okay? Now get out I need take my bath please."

"Alright sheesh."

It wasn't that he liked teasing to just screw with her but rather just to have a bit of fun between them. Oh well at least he was she didn't step on him he thought as he zipped on up to the bed before tossing himself on the huge pillow. As he relaxed on the pillow he couldn't help but think about the coming days and what danger they'd he facing, but no matter what happened he'd be there for her and he was sure she'd do the same.

"I'll always be there for you princess, count on it." he whispered, unaware that she was listening through the door as before settling into her bath.

"Maybe I should a little more gentle with him. Nah he loves it and he knows it." she told herself as she cracked a big smile.

Though he was much smaller than herself his heart was probably twice as big when it came to her and the people. While her mind was on the subject she began scrubbing herself real good to get all the dirt and sweat off of her before dumping a pail of water over herself. With that out of the way she moved on to her hair as she gave it a good scrubbing too.

"Ahhhhh that's better." she sighed before stepping out.

As she grabbed a towel from the rack she noticed a sign next to the door that told her there were spare night-clothes for those who needed them in the closer next to the bathtub, and sure enough there was. All were pretty reasonable from normal night gowns to the regular shirt and pants, and even some lingerie, but instead she went with the night robe even if it was a bit tight. At least she wouldn't burn up in it.

"Ah ready to hit they hay?" she asked as she walked back in.

But as it turned out he was already fast asleep before she even finished her bath. With a little giggle at the sight she turned the lights off before sliding on the other side. Even she was pretty tired as her eyes closed shut as both dreamed of a better tomorrow.


End file.
